La Paz health workers protest orders to perform street cleaning

The Federation of Medical Branch Unions in Public Health (FESIRMES) has rejected an order from the Cotahuma Municipal Hospital in La Paz, Bolivia, requiring health personnel to perform street cleaning duties. The union argues that these tasks are outside their professional profiles, contracts, and training, labeling the directive as professional indignity and workplace harassment.

The conflict arises amid a sanitation crisis in La Paz, where garbage collection services by the company La Paz Limpia have been suspended for approximately 14 days. Deputy Cecilia Vargas criticized Mayor César Dockweiler for the management failure, alleging that health workers were pressured to clean streets as a condition for contract renewals.

While Mayor Dockweiler stated that health staff are not obligated to perform cleaning tasks, Vargas reported instances of extortion and abuse of power. FESIRMES has pledged to protect temporary and contracted staff from threats or pressure regarding their opposition to these instructions, maintaining that waste management should be handled by specialized companies or personnel.