Government slashes funding for pensioners’ medical services |
The government has cut payments to doctors working for PAMI, the public agency that provides medical and social services to pensioners.
On Monday, doctors who treat PAMI affiliates began a 72-hour strike after the government changed the system regulating their pay last week. Health workers say that while that change was announced as an increase to their income, it effectively means “a substantial cut” of their earnings, estimated at 50% in some cases.
PAMI is the largest health insurance agency in Argentina. Most pensioners, as well as certain welfare beneficiaries, depend on it to access medical services. Each person insured by PAMI is assigned a family doctor, who is one of the ones affected by the recent measure.
Family doctors perceive a fixed rate for each patient assigned to them. On Monday, that rate was doubled from AR$946 per patient monthly (around US$0.68 at the official exchange rate) to AR$2,100 (US$1.51).
However, the union representing PAMI doctors,........