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