Doctors who have jobs in the federal government (“médicos servidores pùblicos federais”) plan to go on strike today to express their discontent with a temporary presidential decree (“Medida Provisória –MP”) that makes changes in pay and working hours for health care providers.
According to the National Federation of Doctors (“Federação Nacional dos Médicos – Fenam”), the text of MP 568 of 2012 will require doctors who entered public service with a 20 hour a week contract to work 40-hour weeks without any pay increase. Fenam points out that the new law will affect both active doctors and retired doctors – cutting their earnings by 50% in each case.
The president of Fenam, Cid Carvalhaes, has said the measure is an enormous step backwards in light of the great problems in the public health system (“Sistema Único de Saúde – SUS”] and another sign of the devaluation of doctors.
The doctor’s strike takes place against a background of intense activity. Also, today, Tuesday, June 12, a joint congressional commission will examine the legality of MP-568. Fenam and its strike will pressure members of Congress to make changes in the text.