Mozambique’s public health services were paralyzed after medical workers such as nurses and pharmacists joined a month-long strike by doctors demanding better salaries and working conditions.
The protests meant that only the maternity services of main hospitals in the capital, Maputo, were operating on Monday, according to government-owned daily Notícias.
The Mozambique Association of United and Solidarity Health Professionals said its members joined the doctors’ strike because the government has shown a lack of will to address their demands, two months after they suspended a previous one.
Public wages have become a heated topic in the southeast African nation since the state introduced pay reforms at the end of last year. The policies formed part of an economic program with the International Monetary Fund that came with about $456 million of funding over three years. The changes have caused delayed payments and discontent among government employees including the military and police.
Read More: Singer’s Arrest Brings Mozambique’s Unpaid Soldiers Into Focus
In January, the government cut public sector salaries by 20% and canceled a usual 13th salary check for state workers. Lawmakers in May approved a reduction in their own pay.
