Paraguay Nurses Triple Membership to Nearly 6,000 and Secure Historic Gains
May 11, 2026
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Paraguay’s nurses have tripled their union membership from 2,000 to nearly 6,000 and expanded coordination from 3 to 7 major public institutions since joining the PSI Union to Union project in 2022.
From 2,000 members in 2020 to almost 6,000 by early 2026. From coordination among just three institutions in 2022 to a unified front covering seven major public health and justice entities in 2025. These numbers tell the real story of how sustained union organizing delivered concrete victories for nurses across Paraguay.
As part of the PSI Union to Union project since 2022, the Paraguayan Nurses Association (APE) built this momentum through years of strategic coordination, political advocacy, and base-building. What started small expanded to include the Ministry of Health, Social Security Institute (IPS), Hospital de Clínicas, Military Hospital, Police Hospital, Ministry of Justice, and nursing staff in penitentiary services. This broad organizational reach strengthened their negotiating power dramatically.
The results were transformative:
Pay and career path improvements reaching up to 340% in some historically under-resourced institutions.
Secured budget allocations for promotions and level progressions, locked into the 2026 national budget for long-term sustainability.
The peak came with the major mobilisation of July 2025, known as the “White Tide”, when more than 4,000 nurses took to the streets despite cold weather and threats. This historic demonstration proved decisive: APE successfully blocked a government tender for “smart triage booths” that sought to replace essential nursing functions in emergency services. The victory underscored the indispensable role of nursing staff in healthcare and set a strong precedent against privatisation.
“This process showed that organisation, unity, and sustained union action made it possible to win rights and open up real spaces of influence in public policy,” said Mirna Gallardo, president of APE.
By focusing on membership growth, institutional coordination, and massive street mobilisation, APE has not only improved wages and working conditions but also protected the public nature of health services - becoming a reference for unions across Latin America.
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More than 4,000 nurses from all over the country took part in a historic day of mobilization. Despite the cold weather, union fragmentation and threats, the organized pressure achieved concrete commitments from the government, marking a turning point in the struggle for public health in Paraguay.
