Q COSTA RICA — The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)—Costa Rica’s Social Security Fund— has pledged to resolve salary delays affecting 482 employees after administrative failures contributed to a nationwide strike that forced hospitals to suspend 216 surgeries and hundreds of other medical appointments.
The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, known by its Spanish initials CCSS or Caja, said the payment problems were linked to irregularities in employee appointments detected during the introduction of its Integrated Personnel Management System, or SIPe. The platform began operating in July 2026.
Some affected employees could accumulate nearly three months of unpaid wages before their cases are resolved, according to Infobae.
CCSS Executive President Mónica Taylor acknowledged the severity of the disruption and said the institution must examine and settle each case individually.
“A single worker not receiving their salary on time represents a problem for the institution,” Taylor said.
Officials reported that payments for 381 of the 482 affected workers had already been processed and should be brought up to date during the first payroll period in October. The remaining 101 cases are expected to be resolved by the second half of October.
The Caja also plans to create 482 positions to formalize the workers’ employment status. Until those positions are established, their wages will have to be processed through alternative payment procedures.
The new personnel system exposed an administrative arrangement described as “nonexistent leave coverage,” under which substitutes were appointed to cover employees listed as being on leave even when the records did not reflect their actual status.
The problem extends beyond the cases already identified. A review conducted at Hospital México uncovered 1,600 pending administrative requests. In some instances, appointments had not been entered into the personnel system by department supervisors or human resources units, preventing salaries from being processed.
“We have to put our house in order,” Taylor said, adding that the difficulties also reflected long-standing administrative problems within medical facilities.
Teams from the CCSS personnel administration division and medical management office will visit affected facilities to review outstanding cases. Officials said they aim to complete the payments before the annual bonus calculation period so employees do not suffer additional financial losses.
Strike Disrupted Major Hospitals
The salary dispute contributed to a strike involving 5,685 Caja workers, including 3,061 nursing staff. CCSS figures showed that 95.4% of participants had received payments during the previous four biweekly pay periods, prompting administrators to question the participation of some workers.
Taylor said the CCSS would review individual circumstances that may have justified employees joining the protest. No decision has yet been made on possible disciplinary measures.
The walkout had its greatest effect at Costa Rica’s major national hospitals. Medical manager Marvin Palma Lozano said 216 surgeries, more than 100 medical procedures and about 350 specialist consultations were suspended. Canceled services included colonoscopies, ultrasounds and gastroscopies.
Hospital San Juan de Dios recorded 950 striking employees, while 569 joined the protest at Hospital Calderón Guardia and 402 at Hospital México. The Atlantic and Chorotega regions (Guanacaste and Nicoya Peninsula) experienced less disruption.
Taylor said only one nurse was available to cover the entire emergency department during the third shift at Hospital Calderón Guardia, a highly complex, Class A public teaching hospital located northeast of downtown San José, Costa Rica. Contingency measures prevented irreversible harm, she added.
Hospitals Begin Rescheduling Care
The CCSS has introduced a recovery plan for the canceled services, promising to prevent patients from facing delays beyond those already caused by the strike.
Medical teams will assess patients individually and consider the seriousness of each case when setting new treatment dates. Hospitals in Alajuela and Heredia, along with Hospital Calderón Guardia, have already begun rescheduling appointments.
Officials expect the postponed surgeries to be completed within 15 to 22 days. Diagnostic procedures and specialist consultations should be recovered during the following month. The institution may authorize additional shifts at some facilities to meet those targets.
CCSS officials also suspended a new set of rules governing overtime pay after workers raised concerns.