Doctors resumed their partial strike on 10 February. The work stoppages, says the Doctors Syndicate, will continue on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the month unless doctors' demands for healthcare reforms and better pay are met. Plans are in place to escalate the action should the government fail to respond by the end of the month. Doctors have long complained of government inaction over healthcare. After just two months in the post Mona Mina, secretary general of Doctors Syndicate, has announced her resignation. “We first took limited strike action three years ago. In all that time we have failed to successfully press our demands,” she says. “What we are asking for — better pay, higher education, pension, health care and safe working condition for doctors — is achievable if the syndicate stands united and acts with patience.” Chairman of the syndicate Khairi Abdel-Dayem points out that Mina has not yet officially resigned her post. “She has announced her intention on her Facebook account but this cannot be considered an official resignation.” Mina says she is currently drafting her official resignation letter and that it will soon be in the hands of the syndicate's council. “I am asked to solve every problem as if I had a magic wand. When I cannot, people will ask why they voted for me in the first place. Or else I'll be accused of treachery or of changing after taking the post. These are the reasons I'm resigning.” Last week interim President Adli Mansour issued a decree improving the conditions of health care providers working in state hospitals and other institutions. The decree, says Health Ministry spokesman Ahmed Kamel, increases pay. Doctors, however, object that it does so by adding bonuses rather than improving basic salary. “We don't want the raise in the form of bonuses,” says syndicate member Rashwan Shaaban. “A bonus can be removed any time and for any reason. We want the raise to be added to our salary in order to guarantee no one can cut it.” Doctors will continue their strike until all demands are met. “We are fed up with the tiny payments allocated by the ministries of health and finance,” says Shaaban. “They are not enough for a decent life. We are in dire need of radical change in doctors' salaries and in our overall approach to healthcare.” Syndicate member Emad Mohamed disagrees. “It doesn't matter whether the increase is added to the salary or given as a bonus. What matters is that we got it.” “The rest of our demands will be implemented gradually,” he says. “What's the harm in giving the government a chance to meet its promises? Let's wait and see Mohamed accuses striking doctors of seeking to harm what he says is a fragile economic recovery. “The economy started to improve slightly a few weeks ago. Give it more time. If the government fails in fulfilling its promises we can always strike again.” An emergency syndicate meeting to decide the fate of the partial strike was rescheduled from 7 to 21 February after only 300 members turned up. At least 1,000 of the syndicate's 69,000 members must be present for the meeting. Meanwhile, pharmacists have signaled their own intention to strike as they object to the government's ignorance to their demands. Pharmacists want to be included in the cadre as the doctors. According to Mohamed Saudi of the Pharmacists Syndicate “if the government does not equate us with the doctors we will close our pharmacies and let doctors show us how will they work”.
