Public hospitals to strike on Monday

The staff of public hospitals have announced their intention to embark on a strike action starting Monday June 1, 2015 due to lack of attention to the retirement age and other matters.

On May 25, the Syndicat national des personnels médicaux sanitaires (Synpems) and Cap/santé organized a meeting with the Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda at the Ministry’s premises to find solutions to the ills plaguing the health sector in Cameroon.

“After the deliberation nothing has been done about it. We spent an entire evening discussing with the minister and his personnel. But so far, he has not responded to our concerns”, said the president of Synpems.

Having given a 15-day period to the Minister of Health to meet their demands, the President of National des Personnels Médicaux Sanitaires, Hyacinthe Balla and his colleagues have decided to proceed with the strike action effective from Monday at 7:30am in Yaoundé and Douala.

The reasons for the strike by the health workers are many. According to the strike slogan and statements made by Hyacinthe Balla, it is due to the lack of care staff in hospitals are faced with and the approximately 45,000 unemployed professional graduates.

“Sick health workers and their nuclear family are not taken care of when they fall ill meanwhile the health insurance policy of more than one billion FCFA is obtained at the expense of the taxpayer by members of government and their families”, he added.

They also revealed that there is an unequal propagation of senior positions at the Ministry of Health because "most of the positions are given to people in areas other than the health sectors", a source disclosed.

According to the president of Synpems, the minister and his colleagues “assume the strike action is a farce; however it will indeed take place next Monday”.

"Starting Monday, the Minister will know that we are serious with our demands," he promised.