Sudan’s specialist doctors, academics strike over pay arrears

Specialist doctors from 35 hospitals on Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan downed tools yesterday in protest against the government’s failure to implement an agreement on financial benefits and a health insurance with an additional package. The strike was called-out by the Specialists Representatives Initiative.

In a press statements, the Initiative explained that they have taken the decision to withdraw after exhausting all options, as they have “given the government enough opportunity” The initiative accuses the government of “procrastinating and withdrawing from some of the agreement’s provisions such as health insurance”.

Elsewhere in Sudan, medical specialists continued to strike in 41 hospitals for the seventh consecutive day, to protest the lack of salaries for 11 months.

Dozens of university lecturers organised a protest in front of the Council of Ministrs in Khartoum yesterday, to denounce the failure to pay their salary for the month of January, announcing a comprehensive strike until salaries are paid.

The participants demanded that their salary arrears be paid the salary structure for university professors be properly applied.

They indicated that higher education is on the verge of collapse, explaining that workers cannot perform their duties because January salaries have not been paid yet.