Health minister condemns calls for strike in hospitals.

The minister in a message on his X formerly Twitter condemned the actions and called on the perpetrators with the service to shun from inciting mandatory strikes which he said has become a growing concern within the healthcare sector.

“It has repeatedly come to me these days that some health personnel are inciting a strike to the point of threatening those who refuse to join them,” Manaouda stated in his tweet. 

He went on to acknowledged the frustrations health workers, particularly those with precarious job status are undergoing on daily basis, but underscored that intimidating strike tactics would not be tolerated.

“While praising the republican spirit of the majority of health personnel…who know that I have their grievances at heart and are currently the subject of a sympathetic examination at the Presidency of the Republic, I would nevertheless, like to warn…that those who incite compulsory strikes and recruit mercenaries to come and strike will encounter the coldness of the law,” the minister warned.

The minister in his messaged equally reaffirmed government’s commitment to improve healthcare staff conditions. 

“It is together that we will meet the challenges imposed on us by the current situation. I believe in you, in your spirit of discipline and your high republican spirit,” he added. 

He also urged the medical personnel to stay focused on building a “robust and resilient health system” in accordance with the Head of State’s directive.

The outing of the minister it should be said follows a series of calls among health workers, who have been inciting other health workers to protest.

The protest according to reports is piloted by members of the Cameroon Doctors’ Union, Symec. The new strike followed that of June 12, 2024, which saw doctors and midwives brandishing placards.

Key among their demands was the regularisation of temporary staff who according to union, make up around 60% of the healthcare workforce, lack of contracts or stable salaries, increase in salaries, an increase in the retirement age from 55 to 65, and the implementation of universal health insurance.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3254 of Wednesday October 09, 2024