Nurses across the Dominican Republic have intensified their campaign for better working conditions and fair compensation, staging organized demonstrations outside key healthcare facilities. Members of the National Union of Dominican Nursing Services (UNASED) gathered in front of the Maternidad Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia hospital, holding banners and voicing frustrations over what they describe as years of governmental neglect regarding their professional demands.
The protests highlight a significant gap between political promises and tangible outcomes. Union representatives specifically referenced commitments made by Dr. Mario Lama, executive director of the National Health Service (SNS), who had pledged to reclassify 1,000 nursing positions from assistant to bachelor’s degree level within the year. However, participants revealed that only approximately 200 of these reclassifications have been implemented to date—a mere 25% of the promised figure distributed across three separate installments.
This incomplete fulfillment has left many university-educated nurses in financial distress. Protesters shared accounts of having pursued their education under considerable hardship, only to remain classified and compensated as assistants rather than licensed professionals. They emphasized that current salary structures fail to cover basic living expenses, particularly the family basket of goods which exceeds 47,000 Dominican pesos.
Beyond salary increases, the nurses’ comprehensive list of demands includes the streamlining of pension processes, substantial improvements to hospital working conditions and staff safety protocols, and the construction of a dedicated clubhouse for nursing personnel. Many of these issues, they noted, date back to the mid-1990s.
Union leadership has issued a clear warning that their demonstrations will continue to escalate in both frequency and intensity until government authorities engage in meaningful dialogue and implement concrete solutions. The movement reflects broader concerns about healthcare system sustainability and the valuation of essential medical workers in the country.