"Despite not including the medical class, the AMM acknowledges that the strike is legitimate and stands in solidarity with the health professionals," the association said in a statement issued today after a regular meeting of the board.

The strike was started 22 days ago by the Association of United and Solidary Health Professionals of Mozambique (APSUSM), which includes about 65,000 health professionals from different departments of the National Health System, except for doctors.

According to the AMM, the APSUSM strike is affecting the "already martyred" society that depends on the national health system and it is necessary to strengthen the dialogue between the group and the government.

"We appeal for the dialogue between the parties to be strengthened, in order to find solutions shortly for the benefit of the Mozambican population," the statement said.

Among other aspects, the APSUSM demands that the government provide medicines to hospitals, which in some cases have to be purchased by patients, the acquisition of hospital beds, the resolution of the problem of "lack of food", as well as the equipment of ambulances with emergency materials and non-disposable personal protective equipment, the lack of which is "forcing employees to buy from their own pockets".

Since July of last year, the Mozambican National Health System has faced moments of crisis caused by strikes, first by the Mozambican Medical Association (AMM) and then by the Association of United and Solidary Health Professionals of Mozambique (APSUSM), both interrupted at various times to make room for dialogue with the government.

In today's statement, the AMM recalls that it continues to negotiate with the government, emphasizing that, despite progress, "a significant part of the demands remain unresolved", promising a statement soon.

Some of the complaints presented by these two groups since last year are related to the implementation of the new salary table in the public service, which has been strongly contested by several professional classes due to salary delays and unjustified cuts.

Approved in 2022 to eliminate asymmetries and keep the state's payroll under control, its implementation increased salaries by about 36%, from an expenditure of 11.6 billion meticais/month (169 million euros/month) to 15.8 billion meticais/month (231 million euros/month).

The table cost about 28.5 billion meticais (410 million euros), "more than expected", according to a document from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the evaluation of the assistance program to Mozambique, consulted by Lusa in January of this year.

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