Medical turmoil looming over doctors firing

THE MARTINELLI government’s troubled relationship with the medical profession which has led to strikes of doctors, nurses, technicians and support staff during the last five years, has flared up once again one week before it leaves office.

The cause of the latest eruption is the firing from the Social security service (CSS) of Dr. Fernando Castañeda.

The National Medical Negotiating Commission (Comenenal) announced  Monday, June 24 that it would begin actions this week to protest the dismissal of Dr. Fernando Castañeda from the Social Security medical unit.

The medical guild reported that it was meeting to discuss and coordinate activities, which will start Thursday. “Comenenal calls on its membership, all decent and honest physicians, as well as all the unions in the health sector, civil societies and the entire population of the country to repudiate the dismissal of Dr. Fernando Castañeda,” it stated.

Castañeda is the head of Comenenal, which has had frequent clashes with the government, especially over proposals to allow the hiring of foreign doctors. He was dismissed last week.