Can’t gamble with people’s lives says Health Minister to lab workers set to strike

“You cannot gamble with people’s lives, “said Health  Minister Luis Francisco Sucre in an hours-long meeting with members of the College of Clinical Laboratories (Conalac), who are due to strike on Monday.

Sucre told Conalac representatives that “we must find a way that patients are not affected by the strike measure since the system cannot be stressed anymore, since a strike would further complicate the situation in the country.”

“In the situation, the country is going through as a result of the pandemic, all swab tests, for example, are important and you cannot gamble with people’s lives,” he said.

In addition to the fact that it is urgent to maintain the Traceability Teams and the Rapid Response Teams (ERR) to serve the population.

It was explained to the laboratory workers that both the Social Security Fund and the Ministry of Health are making every effort to meet and honor financial commitments.

Alessandro Ganci, advisor to the Superior Office of the Minsa added that the agreements that are reached will benefit all laboratory workers, both unionized and non-unionized.

“We continue in negotiations with the laboratory workers, they have presented their positions at different points, in some we have already reached an agreement, mainly in the establishments of the job profiles, which is important to be able to make the salary scale that is owed to them. apply, ”Ganci said.