Doctor Shortage

Twenty-eight public-health doctors in Gracias a Dios department, including some in remote communities, have gone without pay for up to eight months in 2026, and at least ten are considering resigning despite continuing to staff the Puerto Lempira Hospital and outlying clinics.

Honduras has only 5,000 doctors but needs 23,000 in the public system, according to the Medical College of Honduras, with low pay, salary arrears, and poor working conditions driving emigration to Germany, Spain, England, and other countries.

Three cardiologists have quit Honduras's public health institute (IHSS) citing low wages and lack of permanent appointments, leaving the system with only one cardiologist when officials say five to seven are needed in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula alone.