After protestsdisagreements and various impasses, this January 4 the agreement was finally signed between the Dominican Medical College (CMD) and the Government, through which a increase 25% graduated salary for health personnel, among others benefits.
The signing of this agreement was preceded by a series of controversial events. The most recent was a strike hunger strike carried out on January 2, in which the guild of doctors took over the headquarters of the National Health Service (NHS) to protest some changes to the terms of the agreement, particularly regarding the benefits salaries.
Waldo Ariel Suero, president of the CMD, denounced that the director of the SNS Mario Lama had proposed a leveling salary, instead of a increase uniform for all doctorsregardless of their salary, as had been initially agreed. Suero warned that, if this proposal is adopted, more than 2,000 doctors would be excluded from the benefits.
The doctors They remained at the SNS headquarters for eight hours, until they were summoned to the meeting in it National Palacewhich took place this Saturday and was led by Vice President Raquel Peña, Health Minister Víctor Atallah, Lama and other officials.
Previous dialogues
Before this meeting, the union had already publicly expressed its demands of salary improvements and others benefits for health personnel, both active and retired. On August 12, Suero had launched a call within the framework of the beginning of the 133rd Anniversary Week of the CMD, in which he asked improvements for the doctors of the country.
On November 15, the president of the union reported that, after a meeting with Vice President Peña, they had reached agreements in 90% of the requests made by the union, highlighting among them the increase salary of 25%. The only outstanding difference was the inclusion of the payment of a salary 14.
Five days later, President Luis Abinader sent an addendum to the project of the budget 2025 to integrate the funds intended for increase salary of the doctors.
Later, on December 20, the Government reported that the agreement had to be signed by the CMD before December 31 in order to implement the increase salary in January, as agreed.
Others benefits of the agreement
The agreement also includes other important benefits for staff doctor. One of the highlights is the increase of the incentives by distance for doctors of zones borderwhich will go from 20% to 30%, and for those from non-regional areas borderwhich will increase from 10% to 15%. These changes will be applied starting with the payment corresponding to the month of January 2025.
Furthermore, it establishes a increase in the incentives for the doctors in charges of intensivists and emergencieswhich will increase from 10% to 20% from January 2025.
Another of the benefits includes the reduction of the quota of the sure of the doctors pensionerswhich will go from 6.4% to 3.2%, which will represent a significant saving in your salary. Likewise, they will be given the right to choose between the state ARS and the ARS CMD at the time of retirement or pension, as long as they have been affiliated with the ARS CMD at the time of their retirement.
