Paraguayan speech therapists demand better labor conditions

Speech therapy professionals in Paraguay are reporting a significant increase in demand across various medical fields, including language disorders related to autism and ADHD, hearing rehabilitation, and swallowing difficulties in patients with neuromuscular diseases or stroke recovery. Despite this growing importance in multidisciplinary health teams, specialists are calling for improved working conditions.

Representatives from the Union of Speech Therapy Professionals of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (SINFOP) have raised several specific grievances. These include a demand to reduce weekly workloads from 30 hours to 15 hours to match standards in other national health institutions. Additionally, professionals are seeking formal recognition of their specific roles, noting that many are incorrectly categorized in human resources systems as nurses or physiotherapists.

Other demands include the formal appointment of long-term contract workers who have served for over five years and addressing salary concerns following pension deductions. Following recent demonstrations, health officials, including Minister of Public Health Isaías Fretes, met with the professionals to discuss these issues.