Nursing unions demand that the Government fulfill agreements and reinstate those who were dismissed

Santo Domingo. – Nursing unions protested this Friday in front of the Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia Maternity Hospital to demand from the Government a series of claims that, according to them, they have been waiting for years. The leaders of the sector assured that the situation of the nurses is “unsustainable” and accused the authorities of failing to comply with verbal commitments made with the workers.

Belkis Amarili Javier, spokesperson for the Nursing Coordinator, recalled that President Luis Abinader and the health sector authorities promised to implement incentives and labor improvements that have not yet materialized. “We are not asking for anything new. What we demand are rights that have already been discussed and that the Government itself recognized as valid. If two parties commit, even verbally, that is moral law,” she said. Among the most urgent points, the nurses cited the application of the incentive for time in service, which has not been updated since 2015. They also requested that category changes be made for those who have completed technical or professional studies on their own, but continue to be paid as assistants.

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“It’s not fair that a nurse pays for her degree, works as a professional, and gets paid as if she were an assistant. The State doesn’t invest in her, but it does demand her work. We are not going to keep allowing that,” Javier stated. Another of the strongest claims is the reinstatement and appointment of nurses hired during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Coordinator, the Ministry of Public Health dismissed about a thousand of these workers, leaving only about 300 active. “Those nurses took to the streets in the midst of the pandemic, vaccinated entire communities, and today they are at home without work. Before they were heroines… today they treat them as if they were worth nothing,” they denounced. They demand that those named remain in their positions and that those who were dismissed be reinstated, especially those who can verify the days worked during the vaccination process. The leaders also denounced that more than 5,000 nurses meet the requirements for retirement, but still have not received the corresponding decree. “In the hospitals there are colleagues of 70, 74 and even 76 years old still working, some with a cane and with four decades of service. This is inhumane,” they stated. Although the Government has pensioned a group of about 500 according to estimates, they claim that this figure is insufficient compared to the universe of professionals who have been waiting for years. The protesters warned that economic conditions also worsen the situation. “We can’t take it anymore with these two pesos we earn. The family basket is through the roof and we continue without incentives, without a raise and without real recognition,” they said. They also requested the appointments of assistants, technicians, and high school graduates trained at INFOTEP, who, despite being qualified, have not been integrated into the public network. Belkis Javier issued a clear call to the head of state: “Mr. President, December is a month of love and unity, but also of struggles when promises are not kept. Nurses do not want strikes, but if we are not given what is ours, we will have to take to the streets again.” The unions assured that this day of protest is only the beginning of a series of actions that will continue until the Government responds to their demands and honors the pending agreements.