Crisis deepens as doctors reject PM’s emissary

Wednesday, 25 January 2012 22:48
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The Citizen Reporters
Dar es Salaam. There’s no let-up in the battle of wits between the government and striking doctors, which the former is anxious to end, but the latter are determined to escalate if their demands are not met.Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda told senior journalists and editors in Dar es Salaam yesterday that he had instructed his subordinates to arrange a meeting at which he would have discussion with representatives of the doctors and resolve the issue.

But, at a separate venue in the city, the chairman of the caretaker committee under the auspices of the Medical Association of Tanzania, Dr Ulimboka Stephen, said they would write a letter to the Premier, whose message would be that they would not resume working until their problems were solved.

Speaking at the Don Bosco centre – the rallying point of the embattled medics ‑ Dr Stephen said: “We have resolved to continue with the strike… we are asking our colleagues across the country to join us, because the outcome will benefit all of us and the general public at large.”

He rejected the proposal that the doctors outline their grievances to an emissary of the Prime Minister – a senior police officer – who would subsequently give him a feedback.

Dr Stephen was emphatic that they wanted a direct audience with the PM, because executives at the ministerial level with whom they had engaged had failed to solve their problems.

At the press conference, Mr Pinda said he was deeply disturbed because the issue was taking too long to resolve, at the expense of suffering patients. He appealed to doctors to attend to patients as efforts were being made to resolve their problems.

“I am still hoping that I will meet with them before I leave for Dodoma on Saturday for the National Assembly session,” said the Prime Minister, who explained that a meeting that had been scheduled for Monday aborted because their representatives did not turn up.

He said the government had delayed payment of November and December 2011 allowances amounting to about Sh800 million to doctors, because the priority was to pay salaries. He conceded, however, that a mistake was done: “The government should have communicated with the doctors and told them the real situation,” said Mr Pinda, adding: “My meeting with them will enable me to know what had exactly transpired.” In a another development, retired specialists who have been recalled on special contracts, were organising a meeting with the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) management in a bid to review their job description.

They lamented that they are overwhelmed by the worsening situation.
One of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, complained: “We cannot work like this; it is unprofessional as two doctors, whether specialists or not, cannot attend 150 patients. Report for duty every day, do theatre jobs and later do ward rounds, is extremely burdensome.”

Reached for comment, the MNH Public Relations Officer, Mr Aminieli Aligaesha, was mum, merely claiming that the hospital directors were holding a mid-week meeting which, among other issues, would come up with a statement on the saga. The doctors are demanding salary increases, improved working conditions and being valued by the government.

Chadema
In his statement, the Chadema Director for Publicity, Mr John Mnyika, who is also Ubungo MP, said the opposition party has been touched by the strike and blamed the government for what is happening.
Mr Mnyika said Chadema has contacted the shadow minister for Health and Social Welfare, Gervas Mbassa, and asked him to support the strike by the medical workers.

Shinyanga
Reports from Shinyanga say doctors continued with their normal routines as they were not informed of the strike. Patients who went to the regional Hospital yesterday said they were attended normally and activities and services at the hospital were uninterrupted.

Mbeya
A total of 75 doctors as well as nurses at Meta maternal hospital in Mbeya moved to support their Dar es Salaam colleagues by boycotting work, save for a few doctors and nurses who were attending to emergency cases.
“If we had enough money we would have gone to private hospitals… the government should immediately deal with this problem,” pleaded Neema Emmanuel, noting that the strike was affecting poor people.

Reported by Lucas Liganga and Alex Bitekeye

should doctors know how to fight for their rights without jeorpadising health of the citizen?

More that a week now, medical doctors in Tanzania are in unresolved conflict with the government. The saga started when the government reallocated intern doctors working at Muhimbili national hospital ( the biggest hospital in the country) to other other hospitals in the country . This reallocation was seen innappropriate as it was taken as a punishment after the interns boycotted in order that they can be paid their monthly allowances by the Minstry of Health and Social welfare. Since then medical doctors ( genealists and specialists) have joined the intern doctors to fight against this seemingly humiliation to the afflicted inten doctors who were demanding for their basic rights as it was part of their contract that they must be paid monthly. The Medical association of Tanzania, has taken a lead to mobilise doctors across the country to discuss this issue and other doctors welfares that have been neglected by  the current government. Different govenment officials including the minster of health have given the government stand on this issue but this has not satisfied the medics and are still  on a go-slow in order that their demands are met.Among other things,they are demanding  that the government should stop reallocating the intern doctors and  meet other doctors welfare such as night call allowances . Pointing to the recent increase of the sitting allowances given to the Members of parliament that has increased from Tsh 70,000 ($44) to 200,000Tshs ($ 126) , medics have questioned the government on why their call allowance have not been increased since early ninetees where they have been paid 10,000 ($6.3)Ths per night call?
While this saga is ongoing, there are posibilities of mobilising all the doctors in the country to strike offering medical services untill their demands are met. This will cost the government and the citizens at lage. Critics are asking why has the matter been allowed to deteriorate to this stage? Is it the medical professionals, the government, the media and by extension the society at large?. Commenting in one of the social media, one senior citizen asked that should the doctors know how to fight for their rights without jeopardising health of the citizens? These questions seems to be difficult but each group has a part to play!

The miracle cure ; implications for improvement in care of chronic diseases

In 2011, thousands of people in Tanzania and neighbouring countries flocked to the remote Samunge village in Ngorongoro, Arusha region for a cupful of retired pastor Ambikile Masapile's "miracle cure". Later on, the country experienced a proliferation of herbalists and faith healers who claimed that they can treat chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. With some imitating the dispensing of cupful of herbal concoctions .This has put the country in dilemma with critics warning that the government risks serious embarrassment for its apparent silent approval of a trend that has sparked medical concerns only to gain political mileage.

For almost a year , he is offering the medication for a mere Sh500 per cupful, the young and old and the low and mighty - drawn from all corners of the nation, the neighbouring countries and beyond - have been trooping to Samunge. Many have braved several nights in the cold in motor vehicles stuck in queues stretching up to 50 kilometres, determined to reach the cleric and receive their dose of the "miracle cure".Although he is no longer popular today, but a significant number of people have received his medicines.

Reflecting on this, one would ask a question as to why these people are flocking to Sumunge rather than going to the health facilities that are scattered through out the country? Does it mean that people have lost hope on the country's health care system? May be these questions might go beyond the national level to the global medical comunity, has the global community lost grip on care of chronic diseases?