Mona Mina has resigned as secretary-general of the doctors syndicate after less than two months in the post. The first non-Muslim Brotherhood member to hold the post in decades and the first woman ever, Mina explained in a statement on Saturday that divisions within the syndicate's rank and file had left her unable to perform her role. "Doctors are suffering from a horrible deterioration in their status and they are hugely divided," which according to Mina has left them frustrated, discontent and unable to make positive changes. "Here is the impasse: I am asked to solve all problems with a magic wand and if I don't succeed I will be asked why did we vote for you? or accused of treachery or of changing after taking the post. For this reason I announce my resignation from my position at the syndicate," Mina said, adding that an official resignation letter would be sent to the syndicate's ruling council. The council needs a unified army of doctors on its side, Mina said. "If that army is not there, or it is divided or fighting internally instead of uniting to win our crucial battle, then unfortunately I will not take the lead in that war. I am not only being asked to lead from the front but also to win it by myself or with just a small number of colleagues," she added. Mina stressed that her resignation was not an "angry reaction" to attacks from both the Brotherhood and the health ministry against the Independence list and herself, but, rather, an admission of failure. The Independence list is a coalition of non-Brotherhood doctors formed by Mina in 2011. In December, the Independence list became the majority on the syndicate board, breaking the Brotherhood's decades-long monopoly, and Mina was voted secretary-general. State doctors recently began a two-day per week strike to demand higher wages and better working conditions. The partial strikes will continue until the next syndicate meeting on 21 February. Last Friday, the syndicate's emergency meeting to discuss the strike was postponed after only 300 members turned up, fewer than the 1,000 required for a quorum. On Thursday, Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour issued a decree regulating the status of health care providers working in state hospitals and institutions. A spokesman for the health ministry said that the decree offers the system of higher salaries that doctors have long asked for. However, critics among doctors say the decree does not respond to demands as it only adds bonuses and does not increase the basic salary. Source: Ahram Online
