Angry doctors threaten to leave South Darfur

Doctors at the Nyala Teaching Hospital have threatened to leave South Darfur if the state Health Minister does not apologise for expelling a specialist and rebuking the doctors, and respond to their demands.

The doctors have given the state government three days to resolve the problem and meet their demands.

In a statement on Thursday, the doctors of Nyala Teaching Hospital reported holding a meeting between the director-general of the state Ministry of Health, specialists, interns and the security apparatus in which the meeting reached satisfactory solutions for all the parties. However, the South Darfur Minister of Health suddenly entered and provocatively addressed the meeting, rebuked the director-general and expelled surgery specialist Dr Ahmed Abdallah in a humiliating manner.  

The doctors have strongly condemned the behaviour of the health minister and gave the state government three days to resolve the problem.

The assistant doctors at the Nyala Teaching Hospital entered into a strike on Thursday in protest against non-payment of their financial entitlements and a poor working environment.

The doctors said they have entered into strike during which only emergencies will be attended to.

They told Radio Dabanga that the strike is a result of the hospital administration's failure to respond to their demands.

Last week, medical doctors working for the East Darfur Health Insurance decided to down tools, in protest against the deteriorating work environment and the low remuneration levels.