Healthcare workers under three bodies have resolved to hold nationwide demonstrations on May 2 2024 over government’s alleged failure to fulfil its commitment to increase their allowances.
The organisations are National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi (Nonm), Physician Assistants Union of Malawi (Paum) and Society of Medical Doctors (SMD).
The government and the healthcare workers were expected to meet on April 26 2024, when Secretary to the Treasury Betchani Tchereni or his representative was expected to give feedback to the latter on their demands.
Besides agreeing to implement a 15 percent salary increment, government pledged to increase several allowances, including locum rates, risk or medical allowance and government top-up and professional allowances.
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The payments are expected to be backdated to November 1 2023.
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Initially, Nonm, Paum and SMD gave the government a deadline of April 12 2024 to implement the revised allowances.
However, Secretary for Health Samson Mndolo wrote the groups, through conciliator Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), indicating that he was yet to get a response from the Treasury on the matter and that feedback would be provided by April 26.
But in an interview Sunday, Paum President Solomon David Chomba said the government was in no-show on Friday to give the feedback despite its earlier pledge.
Chomba said owing to this, the healthcare workers’ representatives held an emergency virtual meeting which resolved to hold peaceful nationwide demonstrations.
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“All our members who will be off-duty at that particular time or those on leave will be on the streets of Malawi.
“They will be demonstrating to force the government to listen to our demands. So our members will put on their professional attire; those who work in theatre will put on their gear just to show the urgency of the matter,” he said.
Chomba stressed that the healthcare workers are neither withdrawing labour nor striking but, rather, peacefully demonstrating and presenting petitions.
The groups say they expect to notify relevant government offices between today and tomorrow about their march.
When contacted Sunday, Tchereni referred us to Mndolo, who also referred us to MHRC.
The commission’s executive secretary Habiba Osman could not be drawn to comment on the issue yesterday.
Meanwhile, health rights advocate George Jobe has said the fact that the two sides have been discussing means they value contact and dialogue.
Jobe said what he would not want to see is a patient suffering due to the disagreements.
“We urge the government to be available and the healthcare workers should also bear in mind that when we lose a life of a patient, that life will never be brought back. There must be a lasting resolution,” he said.
According to the agreement, which was made in February this year, healthcare workers under different grades are supposed to be have their allowances hiked.
