Argentina healthcare workers protest over wages and systemic crisis

Healthcare workers across various Argentine provinces are engaging in protests and strikes to demand better working conditions and address a deepening systemic crisis. In Entre Ríos, nursing staff mobilized against new human resource planning regulations they claim were implemented unilaterally, while also demanding dignified salaries and permanent employment status.

In the Province of Buenos Aires, medical residents and professionals are facing extreme precarity. Residents have denounced receiving wages that do not cover the basic family basket, exacerbated by national economic adjustments. Specifically, at the Hospital Enrique Erill in Escobar, the CICOP union announced a 24-hour strike and march to protest low salaries, lack of specialized staff, and deteriorating infrastructure. The hospital will operate under contingency protocols, limiting emergency services to critical cases.

In Jujuy, provincial authorities report a significant strain on the public health system, with a 40% increase in patient visits. This surge is attributed to the crisis in social security providers (obras sociales) and PAMI, which has left many citizens unable to access private or subsidized care, forcing them to rely on public hospitals. Additionally, the province faces challenges in medication supply, noting a sharp reduction in the number of molecules provided by the national government.