Santo Domingo, Nov. 15 (EFE) .- Dominican doctors are currently staging a new 48-hour strike in public hospitals in the country, the sixth since October, with the purpose of demanding from the government the fulfillment of an agreement that provides a salary increase.

The strike occurs a week after the internal elections of the Dominican Medical Association (CMD), summoner of the stoppages, who gave the presidency to the current Vice President Wilson Roa, who was leading a board supported by the outgoing owner of the union, Waldo Ariel Suero.

Suero, who will remain at the head of the group until December, said in statements to Efe that the affiliates of the entity fully support the strike, convened before the alleged refusal of the Minister of Health, Altagracia Guzmán Marcelino, to talk with health professionals to reach an agreement.

The official said on several occasions that she would not keep No dialogue under pressure or before the elections of the trade union organization, although, according to Suero, he did commit himself to start a dialogue from 9 November.

However, the still president of the CMD affirmed that he has not received any call for dialogue on his part from the Government, given that the minister is waiting for the effective change of directive. to take steps in that direction.

Suero said that Guzmán Marcelino accused him of politicizing the process of electing the new board with these actions, "but it was she who was politicizing ", acting in favor of the candidate Clemente Terrero, and now" she is angry with me ".

In her opinion, for this reason there has been no call to start conversations, which would be enough to stop the stoppages, but the minister "shuns the dialogue."

According to Suero, the president of the Republic, Danilo Medina, is aware of this, and "for a while He had to instruct Guzman Marcelino to meet with us, "since until then they will continue to call strikes, such as the one that will be announced for next week, said the leader. union.

In November 2016, after almost seven months of negotiations and work stoppages, a salary increase of 25% was agreed for professionals in the sector and access to pensions for 1,800 people, among other improvements for health workers.

The agreement established that the salary increase would be carried out in two parts, one of 10%, which was applied to As of January this year, and another equivalent to 15%, scheduled for August.

However, the CMD ensures that more than 5,000 doctors, most of them workers in hospitals They belonged to the Dominican Social Security Institute (IDSS), they were out of the second installment of the increase, which is denied by the Ministry of Health.