CONFUSAM Confirms National Strike and Demands $1,000 Increase in Primary Care Budget for 2027

Original article: CONFUSAM ratifica paro nacional y apunta al Presupuesto 2027: exige subir en $1.000 el per cápita de la Atención Primaria

The National Board of the National Confederation of Municipal Health Workers (CONFUSAM) has confirmed the call for a national strike on Tuesday, September 29, and Wednesday, September 30, insisting on a real increase of $1,000 in the baseline per capita funding as part of the 2027 Budget.

In a statement, they noted that the Ministry of Health’s announcement regarding the acknowledgment of Decree 29, which updates the per capita value, «does not alter our demand for better funding for primary care».

CONFUSAM leaders expressed their appreciation for the advancement, as it addresses one of the reasons for their mobilization. However, they stressed that it is the State’s responsibility, which should have been resolved in a timely manner.

«We cannot normalize the bureaucratic delays of essential resources for Primary Care, which ultimately affect our users,» they warned.

The Confederation’s leadership denounced an accumulated government debt exceeding $37 billion in pending transfers to municipalities between December 2025 and September 2026, demanding a monthly increase of $1,000 per registered user (baseline per capita), which currently sits at $11,932 per patient, a figure that—according to their projections for 2026—should be adjusted to $12,259.

«Although the payment of the more than $37 billion debt that the Government owes to the municipalities for the baseline per capita is one of the reasons for our mobilization, the fundamental reason for it is that we demand an increase of one thousand pesos in that value for 2027, after two years of the amount being frozen,» they explained in the statement.

CONFUSAM emphasized that September 30 is a pivotal date as it marks the beginning of a decisive phase for the 2027 Budget, which will clarify «whether there will be real progress in reducing the historical funding gap for primary health care».

To conclude, the Confederation’s board reaffirmed the national strike on September 29 and 30, which will include Family Health Centers (Cesfam), Cecosf, Sapu, and rural health posts across the country, under the slogan: «No to the dismantling of Primary Care».

«The mobilization continues. We will keep defending Primary Care and demand adequate, sufficient, and permanent funding for public health. We call on workers in every territory to demonstrate our strength, unity, and organization,» they stated.