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New Cabinet Sets Longer Hours for Health-Care Workers

Posted: Matthew Grace on Jan 24 | Health

Bolivian President Evo Morales issued a decree yesterday morning that will enforce an eight-hour workday in the health sector, despite protests from health-care workers, who say that the shift from a six-hour workday would be too demanding.

At a press conference, the new health minister, Juan Carlos Calvimontes, asked health-care workers to comply with the new regulation in order to allow the population to gain better access to health care.

But according to the president of the Medical College in La Paz, Luis Larrea, the World Health Organization and the the Pan-American health Organization recommend that health-care workers limit their workday to six hours. “There will be a conflict, and it is not because [health-care workers] do not want to work,” Larrea said. “Within six hours, a doctor sees 30 patients. It is exhausting.”

To learn more in Spanish see: http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/politica/20120124/decretan-ocho-horas-de-trabajo-en-sector-salud-a-pesar-del-malestar_157868_329449.html

 

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