The Dr. Antonio Lenín Fonseca Hospital fired without justification, this Wednesday, the anesthesia technician Angela del Carmen Duartes, after 23 years of working in that medical center. The affected party considers that her dismissal is retaliation because she did not vote for the Sandinista Front on November 7, and in some way, “they found out“.
“I assumed that the vote was secret, but apparently, the ballots seem to have a code – that’s what several say. They surely saw that I voted for another party, less for that one (the Sandinista Front), ”Duartes told CONFIDENTIAL.
The anesthetist stressed that state workers asked them to show their spotted thumb as proof that they did vote, and under that pressure, many people had no choice but to go to the polls. “I voted in another box. Why was he going to waste the vote? What interested them was that the finger was stained and, even so, they looked ”, he lamented.
He also associates his dismissal with a post he made on his profile on a social network, which read “clean footprint, clear conscience, triumph for the Sandinista Front.” The principle of the message agrees with the call of the opposition to the population to reject the “farce“ electoral by staying home, not going to vote, and therefore, keeping their thumbs clean.
Custody until leaving the hospital
Around 9:45 in the morning of this Wednesday, November 10, the head of Duartes summoned her to the Directorate of the hospital. Upon entering the office, he found seven people, including Human Resources personnel and strangers. They told him to sit down and handed him the letter that read: “I notify you that as of the date your employment contract in the position you have been performing as an anesthesia technician for this hospital is terminated“, without citing any article of law or explaining reasons.
Duartes questioned the cause of his dismissal, but received no response. The only thing they said to him was: “sign the letter,” including a man who identified himself as Silais Managua’s legal advisor. He even showed them the finger stained with the indelible ink, but the answer was the same; to sign.
Finally, he accepted and his departure was guarded by a security guard and another man who wore the insignia of the Sandinista Front on the sleeve of his white shirt.
The former Health worker pointed out that they did not even consider that she has a disability, due to an illness since 2014, and therefore works part time.
The letter was signed by Román Herrera, head of Human Resources, with a copy to the general director of the Hospital, Julián Corea. The letter follows the script of other arbitrary dismissals of health workers and the teaching body, in which they are only notified that they dispense with their services and that they go through Human Resources for the liquidation process.
Public employees under pressure
This monday several State workers confirmed to CONFIDENTIAL that they felt pressured to vote not to lose their jobs. Health workers, such as Duartes, teachers, and other professionals assured that their bosses kept a control of who went or did not go to the polls, and requested photographs of his stained finger. In the case of Lenín Fonseca, according to Duartes, “everyone was getting checked (thumb)“.
Those who did not vote and work for a State institution may have problems, consider other public employees. Specifically, the teaching union fears that after the voting on November 7, in which Daniel Ortega along with his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, guaranteed their fourth consecutive term in power through an opaque electoral process and that it has been rejected. For more than 40 countries, there is a wave of layoffs.
In 2020, at least a dozen doctors from public hospitals and health centers They were fired for questioning the handling of the covid-19 pandemic. In July, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) summoned several specialists, who denounced the lack of credibility of the statistics of infections and deaths of covid-19 by the health entity, and warned them to refrain from commenting on the matter, threatening to cancel their medical license.
