CHILE: DOCTORS STAGE TWO-DAY STRIKE IN PROTEST AT GOVERNMENT HEALTH CUTS.

Record ID: 341954

  • Title: CHILE: DOCTORS STAGE TWO-DAY STRIKE IN PROTEST AT GOVERNMENT HEALTH CUTS.
  • Date: 11th April 1986
  • Summary: 1. GVs Marchers singing, carrying banners, chanting and clapping. (4 SHOTS) 0.42 2. SVs Riot police approach protesters outside building as protesters continue chanting and clapping holding banners. (4 SHOTS) 1.22 3. SVs Doctors' spokesman talking to riot policeman, and police move demonstrators along. (2 SHOTS) 1.40 InitialsBB/JS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 26th April 1986 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SANTIAGO, CHILE
  • Country: Chile
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA412OC1OD7008I0K9AUPB5ROI7
  • Story Text: SANTIAGO, CHILE

    Chilean doctors staged a two-day strike in April 9 in protest at government cuts in health service funding. They demanded the resignation of Health Minister Doctor Winston Chinchon, the repeal of new health legislation and the reinstatement of Doctor Ricardo Vacarezza, president of their Santiago union branch. Doctor Vacarezza was dismissed from his job in a state hospital for his role in a similar stoppage last December. The doctors are especially upset at conditions in clinics and hospitals where budgets have been cut, in line with the military government's policy of making education and social services pay for themselves. Doctors' leaders said strike was 90 per cent effective in the capital, Santiago. More than 2000 physicians, nurses and health professionals staged an impromptu rally outside Santiago's Aguirre Hospital on April 8. Riot police were quickly called out, but after talks with doctors, the protest passed off peacefully, in sharp contrast to what happened during similar strikes in January. Then police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse protesters. Doctor Haydee Lopez, general secretary of the College of Physicians, said health workers were becoming more and more aware that no solution to their demands was likely without a change from General Augusto Pinochet's military regime to democracy.

    <strong>Source: REUTERS - RAUL CUEVAS</strong>
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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