Peru: Health Workers Protest Gov't Lack of Compliance

Peru's healthcare workers, on Wednesday, began an indefinite national strike due to the government's failure to comply with agreements reached last May.

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Peru's Health Care Workers Start Indefinite Strike

Similar to last year, members of the Unified National Federation of Health Workers (Fenutssa), who gathered outside the Ministry of Health (Minsa) in Lima, are still asking for an increase in the 2019 budgetary assignment for healthcare. According to Fenutssa, there is currently a US$6.8 million budgetary deficit, which is affecting the provision of public services.

The healthcare workers also demand compliance with the five percent increase in hospital guards and the cancellation of social debts requests.

Besides asking for more respect for the union leaders, Fenutssa has also been requesting the revaluation of administrative and general service workers as well as the granting of appointments to these public servants.

With respect to the Peruvian Government's breach of the 'Administrative Worker Regulation Law', the General Secretary of the Federation, Enrique Challco, explained that around 25,000 administrative employees have not received salary increases since 2013. 

Unified National Federation of Health Workers (Fenutssa) "The Vizcarra administration is only neoliberalism. It has abandoned the health of Peruvians."

The general secretary said that talks with the Health Minister Silvia Pessah had been carried out eight months ago. However, the Peruvian Government is yet to comply with the law. "We are going to meet the Parliamentary Health Committee. We expect a reaction from the Minister," Challco comment.

In the city of Trujillo, health workers also requested that authorities, who have been sentenced for corruption, be banned from public service for life.