Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Association of United Mozambican Health Professionals (APSUSM) has called for the replacement of the government representatives in the ongoing dialogue aimed at solving the matters presented by the health workers.
According to APSUSM spokesperson, Anselmo Muchave, speaking to reporters on Monday, in Maputo, the need to replace the government representatives results from alleged non-compliance with the protocols agreed upon in previous dialogue sessions.
The APSUSM leadership had also threatened to resume its strike. Machave claimed “The current government representatives ignore us. They only created WhatsApp groups. The government should be ashamed of creating WhatsApp groups to discuss matters that affect lives”.
Submitted to the government in 2023, the list of demands from APSUSM includes payment for overtime and for shift work. The letter also includes the definitive restructuring of the general and specific regime of the National Health System (SNS), as well as the payment of fixed wages on fixed dates.
“We have informed the government of all these problems. We submit letters and they only claim to be resolving the issue. They only say that they have resolved the issues. They don’t have any document filed”, he claimed.
“There is no ongoing dialogue. There is still a lack of medicine and of electricity in the health units. It’s not because the government doesn’t have electricity, it’s because we, as an association, are being ignored”, he added.
However, Muchave did acknowledge that the government has already solved one of the major grievances by paying overtime directly into the bank accounts of APSUSM members.
Last March, APSUSM announced the resumption of the strike, for an indefinite period, if the government did not address the concerns of the group, but it did not carry out this threat.
APSUSM says that the strike would be aimed at putting pressure on the government to provide better working conditions, a reliable supply of medicines, and medical and surgical equipment, food for hospitalized patients, as well as more hospital beds to avoid overcrowding.
The Health Ministry has yet to respond to the latest claims from APSUSM.
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