Medical staff at the main hospital in the Jonglei State capital, Bor town, have gone on a sit-down strike over unpaid incentives.
The indefinite industrial action by over 200 health workers including medical doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, and cleaners, among others, started on Tuesday.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Tuesday, John Anyieth, the deputy head of the staff union at Bor State Hospital, said all workers at the state’s referral medical facility downed their tools because of unpaid incentives for January.
“Last month, the supporting partner presented a proposal for the reduction of staff at the hospital and said that we will not be paid until the proposal is implemented,” Anyieth said. “And on 18 January, we were informed by the hospital administration about the proposal and that we will not be paid on time. The staff rejected the idea because it came at the end of the month. At the end of the month, there was no information about the incentives and the staff wrote to the ministry and the partners but there was no response.”
The representative of the striking health workers said they will continue with the strike if they are not paid.
“Those on strike are 237 including doctors, nurses, clinicians, lab technicians, pharmacists, and cleaners,” he said. “The staff laid down tools until the incentives are paid because schools are reopening and children have been chased away due to lack of fees.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Ajak Garang, one of the striking medical doctors at the health facility, said the strike was necessary despite its negative impact on patients. He urged the relevant agencies and development partners to address the health workers’ demands so they resume delivery the much-needed health services.
On his part, Duop Rom Kok, the director general of the state health ministry, said he could not comment because he was outside the state and that he would travel to Bor on Wednesday to help address the issue.