Mozambique: Health sector strike ‘unethical’ – new minister

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Mozambique: Health sector strike ‘unethical’ – new minister

5:48 CAT | 21 Jan 2025

The Minister of Health Ussene Isse speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a visit to Lichinga Provincial Hospital in Niassa province on Tuesday, 21 Janaury 2025. [Photo: TVM]

Mozambique’s new health minister said on Tuesday that paralysing activities in the sector were unethical, although he recognised the legitimacy of the demands of the professionals who have been on strike since Monday, demanding their 13th salary.

“If I don’t receive a salary it can’t withdraw care from the patients, but I can make demands, but stopping work is unethical in the health sector,” Ussene Isse told journalists on the sidelines of a visit to Lichinga Provincial Hospital in Niassa, in the north of the country.

At issue is the non-payment of the 13th salary to civil servants, after the government indicated that the post-election crisis in Mozambique, with stoppages and clashes since October, had forced the reformulation of the 2024 budget, including the cutting of this salary, outgoing prime minister Adriano Maleiane said a week ago.

In addition to the Association of United Health Professionals of Mozambique (APSUSM), the National Association of Nurses of Mozambique (Anemo), the National Association of Teachers (Anapro), the Association of United Teachers (APU), and the National Civil Service Union (Sinafp) were also paralysed for an indefinite period.

The minister, who was sworn in on Saturday by the new president of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, said that the concerns of the health professionals were fair but questioned the interruption of activities by referring to the oath taken by the officials.

Ussene Isse said patients were a priority and, therefore, “regardless of salary, political issues, rain, everything”, it is the mission of health professionals to care for patients and “never leave them behind”.

“Your concern is fair? keep complaining. It’s your right, I agree. Do we need to look at this? I agree, but to stop seeing patients is no longer ethical,” he emphasised.

Mozambique’s government asked the staff to be patient and said it was endeavouring to resolve their situation.

“If we had the conditions, do you really think we wouldn’t fulfil the workers’ complaints? We would,” Isse said.

Dozens of health workers at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the country’s largest hospital and one of the units in the Mozambican capital, paralysed their activities on Monday. They demanded payment for the 13th month and overdue allowances.

“The money is ours by right, not favour. We want our rights,” said Sónia de Almeida, a service agent at the HCM relief centre, in statements to Lusa during the demonstrations outside the hospital.

According to Sónia de Almeida, the demands of professionals also include the payment of shifts, risks, transport allowances, and the standardisation of special allowances.

Also on Monday, the spokesman for the civil servants’ associations on strike told Lusa that the time for diplomacy and negotiations “has passed” and that they will only resume work once the government has paid the 13th salary.

Isac Marrengula said that paralysing activities was the “only solution” found by the employees, accusing the government of a lack of interest in paying their salaries and questioning the payment of allowances to other “senior officials” in the government.

On Saturday, Mozambique’s government acknowledged “difficulties” in immediately paying the 13th month to the civil service, indicating that it is studying alternatives for its realisation, to be announced “soon”.

“The government will continue to assess the situation, envisage possible scenarios for the payment of the 13th, and present the measure shortly. It won’t be the first experience, there have already been different experiences in which the government has created and found alternatives for partial payment, by groups, among other measures,” said Inocêncio Impissa, spokesperson for the session and Minister of State Administration and Civil Service.

Source: Lusa