Over 5,000 healthcare workers in El Salvador — including doctors, nurses, and technicians — have been dismissed in recent months, while over 370 specialists have resigned from the Salvadoran Social Security Institute (ISSS), according to Dr. Iván Solano Leiva, president of the Salvadoran Medical College (COLMEDES).

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In an interview with local outlets, Solano warned of a “policy of unjustified dismissals and workplace persecution” targeting healthcare personnel who voice criticism or dissatisfaction. “If you speak out about the lack of medical supplies or medicines, you lose your job. It’s a policy that punishes those who think differently,” he said.

In most cases, workers say the dismissals were carried out verbally, without the right to a defense or any legal justification.

Data from the National Coordinator for the Defense of Public Health in El Salvador (CONADESA) indicates that at least 3,500 workers have been dismissed from the Ministry of Health (MINSAL), 1,100 from the Solidarity Health Fund (FOSALUD), 400 from the ISSS, and 80 from the Salvadoran Institute for Teachers’ Welfare (ISBM).

Conditions at key hospitals such as Rosales National Hospital are described as dire. According to Solano, of the ten urologists who previously worked there, only one remains; of ten anesthesiologists, only two are left. “Doctors are leaving the system due to workplace harassment, excessive workloads, and arbitrary transfers with no explanation,” he said.

Solano also warned about the Law for the Creation of the National Hospital Network, which he believes paves the way for the privatization of El Salvador’s public healthcare system. “After 2027, following the presidential elections, the network will begin to be granted in concessions to private companies that sell healthcare services,” he stated.

He argued that such a move would trigger an exodus of doctors and specialists to other countries or to the private sector, worsening staff shortages and undermining the quality of care for the population.

Although President Nayib Bukele’s government has defended the hiring of foreign doctors as a temporary measure, Solano contends that this policy displaces national professionals and fails to address the structural causes of the crisis.

The physician lamented the lack of dialogue with authorities and warned that the government’s dismissal and labor-precarity policies “undermine the quality of care and jeopardize the population’s right to health.”

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