Sudan police storm doctors’ committee in response to strike
Police yesterday raided the headquarters of a doctors’ strike committee in Khartoum to break up a meeting of doctors after the arrest of three representatives of the striking doctors union, namely Dr. Ahmed Al Abuwabi, Dr. Al Hadi Bakhit Al Nur, and Dr. Wala’a Al Din Ibrahim Al ‘Abid. At least the first two of these doctors were detained on Tuesday after the strike was announced. A source told Radio Dabanga that Dr. Al Hadi Al Nur and his colleague Dr. Wala’a Al Din Ibrahim were tortured by the security services and taken to a hospital. Doctors went on strike anyway, according to sources in Omdurman. Doctors of the Omdurman Hospital left the hospital to implement the strike. Doctors in the capital were on strike Wednesday for six hours, the United Nations’ Radio Miraya reported. Earlier, in response to the physicians’ demands President Omar Al Bashir on Tuesday issued a decree raising the salaries of some medical professionals. The strike committee’s spokesperson Nahid Mohammed Al Hassan told Radio Miraya that she doubts that officials will implement the decree of Al Bashir and she cited previous promises made by Al Bashir that were never fulfilled. The Federal Ministry of Health likewise had ordered a salary increase in mid May, which doctors said met only a small fraction of their demands. The doctors are also asking for unpaid wages and improved working conditions.
Police yesterday raided the headquarters of a doctors’ strike committee in Khartoum to break up a meeting of doctors after the arrest of three representatives of the striking doctors union, namely Dr. Ahmed Al Abuwabi, Dr. Al Hadi Bakhit Al Nur, and Dr. Wala’a Al Din Ibrahim Al ‘Abid. At least the first two of these doctors were detained on Tuesday after the strike was announced. A source told Radio Dabanga that Dr. Al Hadi Al Nur and his colleague Dr. Wala’a Al Din Ibrahim were tortured by the security services and taken to a hospital. Doctors went on strike anyway, according to sources in Omdurman. Doctors of the Omdurman Hospital left the hospital to implement the strike. Doctors in the capital were on strike Wednesday for six hours, the United Nations’ Radio Miraya reported. Earlier, in response to the physicians’ demands President Omar Al Bashir on Tuesday issued a decree raising the salaries of some medical professionals. The strike committee’s spokesperson Nahid Mohammed Al Hassan told Radio Miraya that she doubts that officials will implement the decree of Al Bashir and she cited previous promises made by Al Bashir that were never fulfilled. The Federal Ministry of Health likewise had ordered a salary increase in mid May, which doctors said met only a small fraction of their demands. The doctors are also asking for unpaid wages and improved working conditions.
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