With about two weeks to go until the announced strike by doctors in the National Health System, the Mozambican government has announced consensus on the solution to the main point in the list of demands, but the doctors say that the concessions made are insufficient to avoid a strike.

The strike is scheduled to begin on December 5, when doctors will protest against the salary conditions imposed in the New Single Salary Scale.

Since the ultimatum was given, representatives of the medical profession and the government have been in negotiations, with the Executive announcing that there is already consensus, at least on the issue of allowances, which are the main aspect of the demands.

"The solution found involves setting the nominal amount, that is, what they received when the percentage was applied, when the old salary scale was applied, so this was the arrangement reached with these different groups and, fortunately, it was a mutually agreed solution," said the deputy minister quoted by VOA.

After this announcement, made by the Deputy Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, Inocêncio Impissa, the doctors came out to say that this is not the case.

"We are two weeks away from the day set for our national strike and we have not seen any satisfactory developments, so we find it very difficult that on December 5 there will be no strike," said Napoleão Viola, a member of the Mozambique Medical Association.

For his part, the Minister of Health, Armindo Tiago, says that the position of his professional colleagues reveals an incoherence.

"Just yesterday (Wednesday) there was a meeting with the Medical Association and the respective order in which the points already agreed were presented and what I can say is that we, as a government, are complying with what was agreed," concluded the minister.

The strike had been scheduled for November 7, but was postponed to November 5 to allow more time for dialogue between the two sides.