Mozambique's Minister of Health has accused doctors of violating "minimum services" during the strike that the class has been holding for over a week, pointing out that this omission constitutes a breach of the Constitution of the Republic.

"Minimum services are a constitutional requirement, it's not an option for the striker, it's a constitutional issue," emphasized Armindo Tiago, in an interview with the public broadcaster Radio Mozambique (RM), on Monday.

He noted that the Mozambican Medical Association (AMM) had ensured that essential hospital services would not be affected by the 21-day strike.

"In some sectors, in some health units, we are seeing that the Medical Association of Mozambique is not complying with the minimum services requirement," accused the Minister of Health.

The Center for Public Integrity (CIP) said this week that the strikes that have affected the public administration are a wake-up call for the country to pass a law on minimum services, in order to implement the general provision imposed by the Constitution of the Republic.

According to the CIP, specifically in the case of doctors, who "are exercising their constitutionally enshrined right to strike, the government has resorted to palliative measures, such as hiring trainees or using military doctors, because the obligation for NHS doctors to guarantee minimum services is not regulated a priori".

"It must be borne in mind that minimum services cannot jeopardize the right to strike, so when they are decreed, they should only be those that are essential to guarantee social tranquility (...) The legal/constitutional provision for the right to strike in Mozambique should be an indication of the need to legislate on minimum services aimed at guaranteeing the continuity of the provision of essential services," explains the CIP lawyer.

In his interview with RM, the Health Minister reiterated that the government has already met the short-term demands made by the doctors, guaranteeing that all complaints will be met by November.

On Monday, the AMM expressed concern about the government's silence on the strike, which has now completed a week without an agreement between the two parties.

"The government's silence worries us, but it was predictable. Last year we had about seven days in which the government remained silent and only after that did we return to the negotiating table. It's not an unpredictable silence," said AMM spokesman Napoleão Henriques Viola at a press conference in Beira, alluding to the lack of understanding that remains between the parties.

These professionals are protesting against wage cuts and lack of overtime pay, among other demands, which have increased waiting times for patients in the country's various health facilities. (sapo)