Thousands of doctors began the New Year by staging a partial one-day strike across the country's hospitals. A second partial one-day strike took place yesterday. The strikes excluded emergency services. Doctors are protesting against what they describe as poor salaries, demanding them to be raised. This is in addition to increasing the Health Ministry's budget from its current 4.5 per cent to 15 per cent of the country's national budget, and ensuring the security of hospitals from assaults by thugs and from infectious diseases. The strike began as the Doctors Syndicate rejected the pay incentive scheme stipulated in a new law regulating medical professions claiming a lack of financial resources and insisting, instead, on a flat pay increase. The strike comes after negotiations between representatives of the syndicate and the ministries of health and finance failed in resolving these long standing issues. According to estimates by the Doctors Syndicate, the number of doctors who participated in the strike ranges between 80-90 per cent of Cairo and Giza hospitals. Estimates of the Health Ministry say only 30 per cent of doctors participated in the strike. For the first time in history, the Pharmacists Syndicate joined the strike along with nurses of most Health Ministry hospitals. It was reported that 70 per cent of the 20,000 pharmacists also participated in the strike. Members of the doctors' strike committee revealed they will announce new plans for escalation if needed. Amr Al-Shura, a member of the board of the Doctors Syndicate said the strikes are an initial warning to the concerned authorities to fulfil demands. “It all depends on the officials' response to our demands. In case they don't respond to us, we will escalate,” said Al-Shura. Al-Shura said among other demands of doctors is the release of detained and imprisoned doctors. “All doctors will be present at hospitals during the strike, whether they are on strike or not,” said Al-Shura, who added that doctors operating in critical and life-threatening medical sections will not be present during the strike. Mona Mina, secretary-general of the Doctors Syndicate and a leading member of the strike committee, believes that doctors are leading a professional strike. “There is no room here for politicising the strike. Our demands have never changed. They are exactly the same as they were during our previous strikes over the past two years,” said Mina. Mina added, “We are fed up with the poor pay which both ministries of health and finance have allocated for us. These salaries along with other trivial bonuses are not enough to lead a decent life. These salaries are nothing more than temporary pain killers. We are in dire need of a radical change in doctors' salaries and in patients' healthcare,” she added. Mina suggested adding the incentives which are prescribed by the Finance Ministry for doctors by LE2 billion per year for the next three years to the budget of the Health Ministry which is estimated at LE18 billion. “The Ministry of Finance refused the suggestion as it conflicts with many ministerial laws and decisions, thus threatening the civil servants law in the country,” said Mina. In a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance, it was agreed that doctors will be paid LE120 instead of LE19 at the beginning of January as an incentive for the medical risks they are exposed to, to be gradually increased to LE200 in July 2016. The statement also said doctors and nurses on night shifts will be paid for this effort. ‘An incentive ranging from 200 per cent to 600 per cent will be offered to doctors working in remote governorates and areas,” said the statement. Ragui Baibars, one of the organisers of the strike in Port Said, stated, “the tiny budget dedicated to doctors is being wasted by corruption within the profession. The amount of payment for dangers on the job is peanuts. Doctors have been trying to push for the ratification of the medical incentives law, which would organise financial, technical and administrative matters like training, promotions and working hours for all professionals in the public healthcare sector. Baibars described the draft staff law as comprehensive. The medical incentives law was suggested in October by the ministries of health and finance. The new law would raise incomes for doctors, however, 75 per cent of the raise would come in the form of incentives and the total income would still fall short of the monthly LE3,000 proposed in the law. The Doctors Syndicate had announced it will provide protection for doctors who will participate in the strike. Baibars said two managers of different hospitals have threatened the striking doctors working under them that they will be referred to internal investigation. The first nationwide doctors strike was in May 2011, covering most public hospitals and several university hospitals. The demand included increasing doctors' minimum wages and raising the national health budget from the then 3.5 per cent of the total state budget to 15 per cent. The syndicate also initiated a partial strike from October 2012 to March 2013 to pressure the government to fulfil their demands. In October, the government announced that LE1,800 per month would be the minimum starting salary for doctors in January 2014, yet the syndicate argued that this was not an adequate minimum wage for medical professionals.
