The National Association of Nurses of Mozambique warned today of the possibility of professionals going on strike in repudiation of the management of the current board of the Order of Nurses of Mozambique, which has been out of office since 2021.

According to President of the National Nurses' Association, Raul Piloto, says that the current management of the Order is committing numerous irregularities to the detriment of the profession.

He said that the Order had not held elections to choose a new governing body since the current one took office on August 2, 2017. Each mandate should last four years.

"This situation is seen as a real blow to the organization that should be a space for representation and defence of Mozambican nurses," he said, stressing that the exercise outside the mandate "hurts democratic principles and compromises the legality and integrity of the current governance in the order".

He said that in view of the situation, the profession is forced to take more forceful action, "such as a nationwide strike if the leadership of the order continues to adopt practices that attack the legitimacy and rights of nurses".

He noted that the warning could materialize if nurses are penalized under allegations of irregularities.

"This strike would be a form of the lack of transparency and injustice that permeate the current management," he said.

Around 3,000 nurses are registered with the association and around 19,000 nurses are registered in the Ministry of Health's database.