The Association of United and Solidarity Health Professionals of Mozambique (APSUSM) warned yesterday that it could go back on strike if the agreements reached in the negotiations with the government are not respected.

The president of APSUSM, nurse Anselmo Muchave, quoted by STV, said that "we are aware that the government has to do something and that's why we warn that we can break the agreements at any time if the government doesn't fulfill [its part]".

At stake is the interruption, until November 5, of the strike called by APSUSM, which covers around 65,000 technicians, servants and nurses in the national health system, employees who are demanding better working conditions.

Anselmo Muchave said that the negotiations with the government commission are continuing and the debate is currently circulating around wage demands, although nothing has been definitively agreed on the matter.

"We don't have anything closed yet, but we're waiting for everything to be done," said the nurse, accusing the Ministry of Health (MISAU) of having hidden the professionals' demands in the previous negotiating model.

"We used to negotiate with the MISAU and the Ministry didn't take our demands to the right people," said Anselmo Muchave, adding that negotiating directly with the government facilitates the process.

Among other things, APSUSM demands that the government provide hospitals with medicines, which in some cases have to be bought by patients, buy hospital beds and solve the problem of the "lack of food" in health units.

The health professionals are also calling on the Mozambican government to equip ambulances with emergency materials for rapid life support or non-disposable personal protective equipment, the lack of which is "forcing employees to buy it out of their own pockets".