By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-10-01 17:51:52 | Updated at 2026-10-01 21:12:42
4 hours ago
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HEALTH · HONDURAS
Key Facts
- —The country Honduras, led by President Nasry Asfura since 27 January 2026. Public hospitals are run by the Secretaría de Salud (Sesal), the health ministry.
- —What happened On 29 September 2026 Sesal told the Colegio Médico de Honduras (CMH), the doctors’ professional body, that 95% of doctors had been paid. It asked the CMH to end its action; the college refused.
- —The numbers Sesal counts 6,850 doctors: 6,480 paid and 370 pending, of whom 359 are on contract and 11 interim (ministry letter, 29 September).
- —What it means for you Outpatient appointments at public hospitals are still suspended or rescheduled. Emergency, delivery and critical care stay staffed, so call ahead before travelling.
- —Still open Whether a CMH assembly votes to stand down. Both sides meet again on Friday 2 October to reconcile their lists of unpaid doctors.
The Honduras doctors strike is in its fourth week, and the government now says almost everyone is paid. The health ministry told the doctors’ college on 29 September that 95% of salaries owed are settled.
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The Colegio Médico de Honduras (CMH), which every practising doctor must join, has not called off its action. It says its own records still show unpaid doctors the ministry has not counted.
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What the 95% figure covers
The figure comes from letter No. 3156-SSPI-2026, signed by deputy minister José Miguel Castillo, the official handling health projects and investment. TU NOTA and Noticias 24/7 both reported its contents on 29 and 30 September.
According to the letter, the ministry has 6,850 doctors on its payroll and 6,480 have received their salaries. All 5,388 permanent doctors are paid, as are 312 of 323 interim doctors.
That leaves 370 doctors, about 5%, still waiting. The ministry says 359 of them are contract doctors going through re-hiring paperwork, with 11 interim cases outstanding.
Castillo said a further step forward could come by Friday. The ministry says it has the budget to settle every remaining salary.
Why the Honduras doctors strike goes on
The doctors began what they call asambleas informativas, or informational assemblies, on 7 September. They gather at their workplaces and suspend outpatient clinics instead of walking out. Earlier coverage: Honduras Doctors’ Protest Hits Third Week as Hospitals Suspend Outpatient Care.
After a technical meeting on Tuesday 29 September, a CMH representative said the ministry’s database did not match the college’s. Some doctors, he said, do not know under which contract type they are registered.
Before that meeting, a CMH board member said a college survey put the share of doctors still owed at about 42%. Hondudiario reported the claim on 29 September; the data behind it has not been published.
He added that only a full CMH assembly can end the action, not the technical table. The college’s wider demands also include signed contracts, reinstatement of dismissed doctors and agreed pay adjustments, Once Noticias reported.
The cost for patients
At Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa, the country’s main teaching hospital, about 12,500 outpatient consultations have been suspended. El Heraldo reported the figure on 30 September, after 24 days of action.
That is roughly 520 consultations for each of those 24 days, by El Heraldo’s count. State broadcaster TNH reported that at least 25 surgeries a day are still scheduled and chronic patients collect medicines directly.
El Heraldo described a couple from Maraita who leave home at 3:00 am and travel more than 30 kilometres. Each trip costs them 400 lempiras (about US$15 at 26.85 lempiras per dollar, 1 October 2026).
Pressure for a deal from both sides
Hospital Escuela’s executive director, Darío Zúñiga, has proposed a truce. Doctors who have been paid would return to clinics, while those still owed money would stay out.
On 30 September César Chirinos, head of the public employees’ association ANDEPH, urged President Asfura to receive the CMH, Proceso Digital reported. He put the number of unpaid doctors at about 300, below the ministry’s own count.
Emergency rooms and critical care units remain staffed throughout, under the college’s own rules. Private hospitals are not part of this ministry payroll dispute. Options are set out in our guide to healthcare in Honduras for expats.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known when the CMH will hold the national assembly that could end the action, or how members would vote. By 1 October the college had not published a list of unpaid doctors to back its 42% estimate.
The outcome of Friday’s meeting to cross-check payroll lists, which could shorten the Honduras doctors strike, is also open. Neither side has given a date for paying the remaining 370 doctors.
Sources: TU NOTA (Sesal letter, 29 Sep 2026); Noticias 24/7 (30 Sep); Once Noticias (30 Sep); El Heraldo (30 Sep); TNH (30 Sep); Proceso Digital (30 Sep); Hondudiario (29 Sep); exchange rate open.er-api.com (1 Oct 2026).
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