Africa-Press – Mozambique. Medical students at Mozambican public universities are demanding a reversal of the government’s July 8 decision revoking subsidies for sixth-year medical interns. The group is calling for urgent dialogue with the Mozambican authorities and threatening to take legal action. However, the government is standing firm. Government spokesman Inocêncio Impissa noted this Tuesday (July 15) that the decision is irreversible, due to a lack of resources.
“There are no magic solutions, it must be said. Truly, the country needs to produce much more to have resources and be able to invest in various activities,” Impissa declared, adding that “there is no way to continue bearing this expense.”
The National Union of Students (UNE) however regrets the government’s stance, which it calls “extremist,” according to Ginésimo Cândido, president of the association, who believes that the withdrawal of the subsidy will affect the livelihoods of medical interns.
DW Africa: How do you react to the government’s latest stance on subsidies for medical interns?
Ginésimo Cândido (GC): Unfortunately, we also received this information through the media. It continues to be worrying for us, especially because it is extremist and doesn’t allow for dialogue with the student movement’s leaders.
DW Africa: So, do you consider this a door closing or the end of the road?
GC: Well, for us, it’s not the end. It’s just the beginning of a battle we’ve been fighting to reverse this situation. To reverse this decision made by the government.
DW Africa: Over the weekend, you spoke of being open to dialogue with the government. During this period, has there been any contact from the Mozambican authorities?
GC: Unfortunately, no, but we are waiting. We continue to wait for this opportunity for dialogue to see how we can overcome this problem.
DW Africa: But if the government continues to dig in its heels, what will be the next step?
GC: Well, at that point, we will continue investing in other mechanisms to reverse this situation, even if it means resorting to the courts – to the Administrative Court. At that point, we will probably know what the best mechanism will be. And by the way, this subsidy has been in effect for two decades, and the most interesting thing about all this is that His Excellency, the President of the Republic [Daniel Chapo], as a student, was part of the board of the Student Association, which fought for this subsidy.
DW Africa: It’s a kind of contradiction…
GC: Well, in a way. We don’t understand, first of all, the reasons behind this decision. The ones presented by the government are very vague, not precise. There’s no clarification here as to whether the unsustainability being discussed refers to the results or the availability of resources to support the subsidy. Our understanding, at this point, is that, 50 years after Independence, this subsidy would be expanded, probably to other groups, and not necessarily withdrawn. So, this is a concern for us.
DW Africa: And what consequences will this have for the medical interns themselves?
GC: The consequences are immeasurable. I’ll give a specific example of students from the provinces, who have been relying on this subsidy to provide their meals because the cafeterias don’t follow internship schedules. This means that these students will be unable to get food with the withdrawal of this subsidy. We also discussed the fact that this subsidy was able to cover needs related to the purchase of medical supplies and personal protective equipment for the students themselves. As everyone knows, health units often lack personal protective equipment.
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