New health care strike begins in Algeria
2008-12-15
Doctors and other health care providers in Algeria have gone on strike as promised, protesting anew the wage inequality and under compensation claimed by unions. The government has yet to address the protesters' demands.
By Lyes Aflou for Magharebia in Algiers – 15/12/08
 [File] Algerian doctors and other health care workers began a fresh strike on Saturday, in an ongoing campaign to improve pay and other compensation for medical professionals. |
Algerian health care workers walked off the job on Saturday (December 13th) in pursuit of a 300% pay rise and other gains from the government. The protesters had promised the strike if demands were not met after a similar action taken last month.
Representatives of the five participating groups declared the walkout a success, claiming their call has been heeded in the capital and provincial towns alike.
The health ministry said the action has had little impact, estimating that less than 5% of related workers are participating. The statement, issued on Saturday, did not comment on the union demands.
An anonymous health ministry official said the doctors' demands go beyond the ministry's prerogatives and would require action from the government as a whole.
Activity is down in hospitals since the first day of the strike, with most of the remaining coverage provided in emergency wards. In Algiers, union officials claim 90% observance of the strike over the first two days.
"The whole university hospital community is working together in this protest to put forward our social demands," said Professor Noureddine Zidouni, chairman of the National Union of Medical Science Teachers and Docents (SNPDSM). "We are providing a minimum of service, and under no circumstances will patients suffer because of the stoppage. Urgent care will not be put off to a later date," he added.
"We are stopping work because we are completely broken down by the injustice being inflicted on our community," Zidouni continued. "We have degrees and skills which would be recognised in other countries, but we have chosen to remain here."
To illustrate his point about wage injustice, Zidouni drew a comparison with the pay offered to MPs, who recently awarded themselves a 300% rise.
Yet for teachers of medicine, he said, with hospital allowance, thirty years' experience and on the tenth and highest rung of the pay scale, compensation would barely reach half that of an MP.
To protest what they view as discrimination, union leaders have threatened to strike every month if the government makes no changes.
Boualem, a specialist at Mustapha Pacha Hospital in Algiers, warns against the state "turning its back on the demands from healthcare professionals". Rallies have been held since the start of the strike at this hospital, which suffers near-total paralysis. According to Doctor Sobaihi Djamel, adherence has been 100%.
Lyès Merabet, General Secretary of the National Public Health Practitioners' Union (SNPSP), was pleased with the level of participation in the strike. "It means that our demands are legitimate," he said.
Acknowledging that his group's demands go beyond the abilities of the health ministry, Merabet stressed that the doors to dialogue remain open, and that compromise is possible if the authorities come forward. "It's time for them to step up with concrete, tangible proposals which could bring this stand-off to an end once and for all," he said. "It's already gone on far too long."
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DR BOUDOUKARA Posted 2008-12-16
I completely agree with the well-justified demands of my compatriots. I am tired of this blatant injustice. How can you explain that a parliamentarian who does not even have a high school education has a salary twice that of a professor of medicine’s who has had 30 years of experience? Is this logical? I will leave you to think about the above.
DR BOUDOUKARA Posted 2008-12-18
Hello- I just want to correct the last sentence of my previous comment regarding my public-worker compatriots who are striking. In place of “I leave you think about the above”, please insert the following: “I leave you with the care to think about the above.’ –Thank you
Dr Mohamed Posted 2008-12-19
I too agree, especially as economic data have completely changed. Whereas in some sectors, wages have doubled, even tripled, in ours the same medical practitioners and even paramedics watch over people’s health 24 hours a day. Whereas in the North, specialised doctors earn 48 thousand dinars and an assistant, after 20 years in the career, only reaches 25 thousand dinars with difficulty, in the South, a security agent at Sonatrach nears 35 thousand dinars and a pipe-welder makes 100 thousand dinars.
SERGHOUN Posted 2008-12-21
The Algerian health professionals’ strikes are justified because they have been wronged in terms of remuneration. The new pay structure for 2008 favours above all else the state employees. Those in administration also have a right to be paid well, but it should be related to the number of years they have studied; otherwise, how does one explain that an ENA graduate with five years' education is ranked 16 and a veterinarian or dental surgeon with the same number of years is ranked 14. With its new policy on wages, the Algerian state is severely punishing its elite who received honours and chose to study medicine, dental surgery, pharmacology, veterinary medicine, psychology and so on. The state fattens the “con-gross-men”, whose level of education is relatively low, so as to put through whatever the powers that be want to put through, knowing full well that the parliamentarians will not oppose any project submitted to them or even have an opposing view. A single parliamentarian gets six times more than a general practitioner and seven and a half times more than a dental surgeon while working fewer hours over the year. Our elected officials think only about getting the most enjoyment out of their term, knowing that they will never be held responsible for their impotent movement (registration) to the APN, which has moreover been deserted during the most crucial and most pivotal debate for our nation. It is shameful to see the Minister of health talk about this strike’s small following, when the entirety of the national press reported strong participation. Turning one’s back on the claims made by these types of personnel means orienting our future graduates to look far away and move to somewhere where graduates get recognition. And, they say that the number of emigrants is increasing!?!
dr nora Posted 2009-03-13
Today is March 13. We are fifteen days into our unlimited strike. I am a general practitioner with 22 years experience and I am only paid 43 thousand dinars. I have three children, two of whom are in college. Do our children not have the same privileges as the children of officials???
dax Posted 2009-08-18
Hello- I just travelled for the first time from Almeria to Ghazaouet. The worst part was seeing the first health checkpoint at the port. The personnel did not enforce the preventative measures at all. The infrared camera was poorly installed at the exit of the port. The health system was bizarre and it did not uphold the regulations of the Ministry of Health or the regulations of from international health institutions. Frankly, it is a shame to be a doctor in Algeria. I do not see how what they say on TV can be true. It is a bunch of hot air. The worst part was that the interdepartmental co-operation has no respect for human dignity. The worst example was that there were chickens travelling in high sea with the passengers. I think that the Ghazaouet port is a scandal in terms of healthcare in Algeria and the Ministry of Health. As for you, Minister of Health, yours is a bunch of hot air!
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