Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique’s health professionals accused the government on Monday of “masking” the lack of medicines in health centres and announced that they will resume working only eight hours, demanding overtime pay.
“The association is aware that the government wants to try to mask the reality in the health units, informing some professionals that they should write any type of medication that is not compatible with the patient’s pathology if it doesn’t exist, and make it appear that the units have medication,” said the president of the Association of United and Solidarity Health Professionals of Mozambique (APSUSM), Anselmo Muchave.
At issue is the strike by Mozambique’s health professionals, which began on 17 April and has continued due to a lack of understanding with the government.
APSUSM has been demanding for three years that the government provide hospitals with medicines to meet their needs, with the drugs in some cases being bought by the patients themselves, as well as the purchase of hospital beds.
Other demands include resolving the “lack of food”, equipping ambulances with emergency supplies and non-disposable personal protective equipment – the lack of which is “forcing employees to buy it out of their own pockets” – and paying overtime, as well as demanding a better framework within the Single Salary Table (TSU).
At a press conference, APSUSM once again accused the government of threatening the sector’s professionals who are joining the strike. It added that the new phase, which will last 15 days from today, will consist of eight hours of service and no presence of professionals in health units at weekends.
“We’re also going to reduce the pace of work, offering minimal assistance to patients,” added Anselmo Muchave, adding that negotiations with the government are continuing, but without consensus.
Last week, in another phase of the protest, APSUSM announced a total stoppage of work between 1 and 4 May, accusing the government of “manipulating” public opinion by minimising the strike and its impact.
On 25 April, Mozambique’s health minister again criticised the strike in the sector and called for dialogue.
“A health strike is a disaster. […] My recommendation and my request to my colleagues is that we discuss the matter, but we cannot stop attending to our patients,” said Health Minister Ussene Isse.
Over the last two years, the Mozambican National Health System has faced several moments of pressure, caused by strikes, called first by the Mozambican Medical Association (AMM) and then by APSUSM, which covers around 65,000 health professionals from different departments and which demand, above all, improvements in working conditions.
According to the most recent figures from the Ministry of Health, the country has 1,778 health units, 107 of which are health posts, three specialised hospitals, four central hospitals, seven general, seven provincial, 22 rural, and 47 district.
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