After almost a month on strike and without answers to their demands, almost 200 Mozambican doctors took to the streets of Maputo today in a walk in which they assumed that “those who care also need to be cared for”.
“It’s a walk for the dignification of the medical profession,” general practitioner Idolsantos Chamba, 28, explained to Lusa, who travelled more than 450 kilometres from a hospital unit in Inhambane to join colleagues who took to the streets in Maputo today in protest.
“It’s really in defence of our rights, especially our status, which is at risk of being revoked. Since the implementation of the single salary scale, we have been harmed and we really think it is necessary that we raise our voices in a different way to fight for our rights,” he said.
This morning’s walkout, always under police escort, started at around 09:00 local time (08:00 in Lisbon) from the headquarters of the Association of Mozambican Doctors (AMM), which called it, as well as the national strike of these professionals, in force since 10 July, in which they ask for better conditions for the class, contesting salary cuts, the lack of payment of overtime and the revision of their own statute.
After a few metres of walking, on Eduardo Mondlane Avenue, central and partially cut off to traffic, the doctors’ protest, with phrases such as “don’t play with my status” or “I need to take care of those who take care”, turned into applause, passing by the headquarters of the Ministry of Health, strongly targeted by the criticism of doctors, who shouted calling for the resignation of Minister Armindo Tiago.
“We are at risk of losing seniority, overtime, everything we acquired with our status after several struggles, two national strikes, people who gave their lives so that we could have this status and now it is at risk of revocation. That is why we have united and stood up today to show our indignation, to show that we have a voice too”, explained Idolsantos Chamba.
In a months-long tug-of-war with AMM, the Mozambican government admitted last week that it was planning to hire 60 doctors and that the striking professionals would be targeted for absences.
“There are not only 60 of us,” the doctors replied today at the march, to the applause of hundreds of onlookers in the street or at the window.
“We know very well what our rights are. We know the law. We know that the strike is legal, we are not doing anything outside the law. Therefore, these intimidations do not affect us in any way,” Chamba added, recognising, nevertheless, the impact of this strike – initially of 21 days, already extended for an equal period and with the AMM foreseeing a third period – on the populations, despite the minimum services.
“The lack of even one doctor makes a big difference,” she admitted.
Helena Buque, 36, is a neurologist at Maputo Central Hospital, is on strike and today, very early, she appeared at AMM headquarters for the walkout because she says it is time for the Government and civil society to be “aware” of what needs to be done for the National Health System.
“We must fight for the National Health System to have better conditions to offer the services that the population needs. Only we can do that. And it is this and this help that we want to ask for”, he pointed out, recognising that today’s walk, transformed into a demonstration in the capital, is also for the “dignification” of the class.
“For the entire health class, not just for doctors. We want improvements for the entire national health system. We are doctors, but we are here marching for the entire National Health System”, she said.
For Helena Buque, the “dignification” of the medical profession is the “important point” of this strike.
“We need to work in dignified conditions, we need to be treated as dignified people, as employees of a profession that is dignified and deserves dignity. Dignity involves everything: quality of work, conditions of diagnosis, treatment, living conditions (…) We do not accept that our statute be cancelled,” she said.
For Helena Buque, who has been on strike for 27 days, the protest “is to be taken seriously”, a position corroborated by her colleague Damião Abdala, 34, a resident doctor also at Maputo Central Hospital and doing a residency in general surgery.
“We are claiming our rights, we have every right to do so. And today will be the first of probably several marches that we will make towards this right that we are demanding from the Government”, said Damião Abdala.
Like all the other colleagues present at the march, he says that changing the professional statute, as the government did, was the last straw, after several disagreements.
“The calculation of overtime according to a specific formula that doctors have in the public administration has never been used since this statute was approved (…) we are here running after them so that they are effectively accepted by the Government and made effective at the level of what is the doctor’s regulation”, emphasised the doctor.
All because, he says, “better conditions for the population” are needed and because hospitals “lack a lot of things”.
“We are demanding better conditions so that we can treat, we can bring health to our patients,” he said.
Also on strike since 10 July, Damião Abdala is part of the team that ensures the minimum services in the largest hospital in the country, ensuring that they try, “as far as possible”, to do the “best”.
“We always tell the population that we are not angry, we are just on strike demanding what is rightfully ours,” he concluded.
Lusa
