Striking doctors arrested in Sudan’s Blue Nile state

Three doctors from Ed Damazin hospital in Sudan’s Blue Nile state were arrested by agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) on Wednesday morning, for striking against the non-payment of their incentives since July.

In a statement yesterday, the Central Sudanese Doctors Committee said that the security apparatus arrested medics named as Mohamed El Sir, Gusai, and Sadig Ahmed.

The doctors began the strike after the Ministry of Health in the state failed to meet the pledge it made to address the payment arrears, which prompted to the medics to lift a previous strike at the beginning of September.

The doctors’ demands include better maintenance of their hostels, and an increase in their benefit allocations by 50 per cent.

The last few months have seen a spate of similar strikes at medical facilities across Sudan by dissatisfied health workers protesting poor working conditions, lack of security, and payment arrears.