- Title: Bolivian doctors protest new Health Emergency Law with national strike
- Date: 20th February 2021
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (FEBRUARY 19, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BOLIVIAN HEALTH WORKERS PROTESTING OUTSIDE GENERAL HOSPITAL MEMBERS OF BOLIVIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION AT NEWS CONFERENCE PICTURES OF DOCTORS WHO HAVE DIED FROM COVID-19 (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIAN DOCTOR, FERNANDO ROMERO, SAYING: "Asking for mercy in order to receive help from the government. It is not possible for a government to treat this way a sector that is at a total disadvantage and that has had to face a pandemic as hard as the one the country is facing. It is inhuman to treat this sector with such harshness, with such violence. It is an aggression by the government against our sector with this health emergency law." RELATIVES OF COVID-19 VICTIMS WAITING OUTSIDE MORGUE FOOT, PART OF BODY SEEN LYING ON FLOOR RELATIVE OF COVID-19 VICTIMS WAITING OUTSIDE MORGUE WORKERS OF MORGUE WEARING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) VIEW OF MUNAYPATA NEIGHBOURHOOD VARIOUS OF WIFE OF DOCTOR WHO DIED WITH COVID-19 ALICIA CALLISAYA HELPING HER DAUGHTERS WITH HOMEWORK (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NURSE AND WIFE OF DOCTOR VICTIM OF COVID-19, ALICIA CALLISAYA, SAYING: "I demand the government to support the doctors. My husband treated patients with Covid, got infected and died. We need the support of the government, I ask for support." VARIOUS OF CALLISAYA HOLDING PICTURES OF HER HUSBAND (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NURSE AND WIFE OF DOCTOR VICTIM OF COVID-19, ALICIA CALLISAYA, SAYING: "If we do not attend patients for one or two days, the government brings in Cuban and Venezuelan doctors. This is not good for us, it hurts us." CALLISAYA TALKING WITH HER CHILDREN
- Embargoed: 6th March 2021 00:04
- Keywords: Bolivia Health workers Sanitary Emergency Law doctors national strike protest
- Location: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- City: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- Country: Cuba
- Topics: Health/Medicine,South America / Central America
- Reuters ID: LVA001E0B8T3B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Health workers walked off the job in Bolivia on Friday (February 19) and began a national strike to demand the repeal of the Health Emergency Law, promulgated on Wednesday (February 17) by President Luis Arce.
The decree states that health personnel may not call strikes during the pandemic emergency period, and permits the hiring of foreign medical personnel.
The Bolivian health union says the emergency law should be repealed, claiming it is unconstitutional and restricts the right to protest.
Health workers said that during the national strike they will not suspend care for COVID-19 patients and emergency services.
Protests by doctors and nurses are being carried out across the country amid a second wave of coronavirus cases that has pummelled its ailing healthcare system, pushing many hospitals to the brink of collapse.
Bolivia has reported 239,534 infections and 11,353 deaths from COVID-19 since the outbreak began.
(Production: Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi, Monica Machicao, Liamar Ramos) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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