Medical Personnel Strike in Port Sudan Enters its Fifth Day

Moatinoon

The strike of the workers in the Accidents and Emergencies Department and the Childrens Hospital in the city of Port Sudan has entered its fifth day.

The medical workers in government hospitals had announced a halt in their work due to the non-payment of their salaries and entitlements since last April, as a result of the outbreak of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

The workers resumed their open strike since last Sunday, after it was lifted the previous week.

Healthcare services in the Red Sea state have significantly declined due to the high waves of displacement from the city of Port Sudan caused by the war. Cancer patients are suffering from the unavailability of chemotherapy and its high cost, which has reached around 180,000 Sudanese pounds in the black market.

In a related context, doctors at the Al-Abwab Teaching Hospital in North Kordofan state announced their participation in a strike, demanding the payment of their salaries and entitlements since last April.

According to BBCs Sudan Salam program, emergency services and departments such as ophthalmology, pediatrics, otolaryngology, orthopedics, urology, psychiatry, dermatology, and reproductive diseases at the teaching hospital have ceased to operate, with the exception of the Gumaih kidney dialysis center, which is almost the only one in the state. The Women and Obstetrics Hospital only receives emergency cases, and doctors are committed to treating patients who were already present at the hospital until the last patient is discharged.

For four months, the salaries of medical personnel and their deserved incentives have not been paid. Some incentives have accumulated to ten months, as confirmed by Dr. Nazifa. Doctors are demanding the release of overdue financial dues, as well as calling for a safe and clean working environment in hospitals and providing secure means for doctors and medical personnel to commute between their residences and the hospital. Medical personnel have been working without interruption due to the conditions of war, according to complaints from several doctors.

Ateya Abdullah, Secretary of the Preliminary Committee of the Sudanese Doctors Union, said to the Sudan Salam program, A large number of medical personnel have abandoned their profession and turned to other jobs to support their families.