Congressman Carlos Umaña of the conservative Liberal Party rejected on Monday any attempt to privatize the healthcare system proposed by the neoliberal government of Nasry Asfura, arguing in defense of the fundamental right to public and universal healthcare in the country.
“Privatization is not the solution, and we have been saying this for years. A new model must be created that provides universal healthcare and a dignified retirement system,” the pro-government congressman emphasized on his social media, in a message denouncing the shortage of 18,000 doctors in the public system and the fact that, in addition to layoffs and precarious contracts, more than 3,500 doctors are going unpaid.
The reality of a system in permanent crisis
The emergency decree in the health sector was meant to strengthen the system, not weaken it and attempt privatization.
The congressman pointed out that private healthcare does not have the capacity or infrastructure to serve the entire population of a country. In this regard, he emphasized that it cannot completely replace the public health system; however, it does open the door for business owners in the sector to make lucrative deals, prioritizing their economic interests over the health and well-being of citizens.
“Private medicine has no way of absorbing the entire population, but it does offer business owners the possibility of doing business for their strictly economic interests,” he stated.
In this way, Umaña denounced attacks against the medical profession through “dismissals via WhatsApp, lack of payment, and non-renewal of contracts,” referring to the healthcare personnel who have been working since January. “This is attributable to the employer, which is the Ministry of Health (Sesal),” he added.
“The Emergency Decree is meant to strengthen the national public health system, not to privatize healthcare, which is unconstitutional,” declared the congressman from the ruling party, after warning about the potential negative impacts a privatized model would have on the quality and coverage of services, especially for the general public.
The medical profession is being attacked with dismissals via WhatsApp, non-payment of wages, and non-renewal of contracts that specialists working since January are not receiving. This is attributable to the employer, the Ministry of Health (Sesal).
“The medical community is not willing to tolerate this labor massacre being carried out by the National Party, while it contracts services in private medicine without disclosing costs and is practically privatizing healthcare,” he emphasized, amidst protests by healthcare professionals demanding salary redistribution. Umaña also rejected the expulsion of 496 doctors, including numerous specialists and general practitioners.
It is worth noting that, regarding the dismissals carried out through informal means, the head of the Honduran Medical Association (CMH), Samuel Santos, denounced that this week several doctors at the Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital, in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, were prevented from entering their night shifts and their biometric credentials were deleted from the system.
IMAGE CREDIT: [ Image of Honduran medical association ]
“Private medicine has no way of absorbing the entire system, but it does offer the possibility for businesspeople to do business for their strictly economic interests,” stated Congressman Carlos Umaña. Photo: Confemel.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
