Maputo, 23 Oct (AIM) – Resident doctors at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the largest health unit in Mozambique, are threatening to stop working overtime as of 1 November, due to lack of payment for this extra work.
According to the director of the HCM, Mouzinho Saíde, who was speaking to reporters on Friday, “we received a letter from the interns at this health unit informing us that they were going to stop working overtime. This is not just a problem. It has been discussed in search of solutions.”
The last stoppage of activities by doctors, which the Mozambican Medical Association (AMM) called “the second phase of the third national doctors’ strike”, lasted for some 40 days involving, according to the association, over 2,000 doctors.
At that time, the AMM gave the government 40 days to solve all the doctors’ concerns. If they failed to do so, the AMM would resume its strike.
That deadline passed on 9 October, but the strike has not resumed and the Association’s leadership has backed away from a further confrontation with the government.
Saíde explained that in their letter to the HCM management, the residents threatened to stop working due to the physical and psychological strain, as well as travel costs.
“We unanimously decided to stop working overtime and declared ourselves unavailable outside of normal working hours, on holidays and at weekends. We will not be able to carry out patrol work, emergencies or other relevant activities during this period”, reads the letter from the resident doctors.
The HCM, according to its Director, is looking for solutions to avoid a strike that could cause damage to the hospital’s operation.
(AIM)
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