Doctors set to strike over local firing and foreign hiring

Panama’s Health Minister Franklin Vergara is struggling to avoid a 48 hour  strike of Social Security (CSS) doctors, set for Thursday, September 22.

The doctors are protesting  the dismissal of a CSS doctor and “administrative processes” against others, coming at a time when there have been across the board firings of Panamenista managers following the breakup of the  government coalition between the Panamenista Party  and  Democratic Change (CD) . 

They are also objecting to  the hiring of foreign doctors.

 The strike was called on Wednesday, September 14 by the National Medical Negotiating Commission.

Vegara said on Telemetro Reports  that the timing is "not conducive" for a strike which would harm the population and he is seeking to negotiate an agreement with the directors of the Social Security Fund.