Staff at the Juba Teaching Hospital went on strike on Thursday and only called off the strike Friday after receiving assurances that their representatives would meet personally with the Finance Minister and Public Service Minister.
Over 200 nurses, doctors and other support staff held a one-day strike Thursday, demanding the Ministry of Health to clear arrears that they claim are owed to them.
Sisto Lomicu Bashir, a representative of the nurses, is quoted by Eye Radio as saying that they had given the hospital administration a seven-day ultimatum to pay their dues and launched the strike after the administration failed to meet their demand.
Radio Miraya reported that the strike entered a second day on Friday morning, until the workers were assured that the ministers of Health, Finance and Public Service would be available on Monday to meet them to clarify on issues of payment and working hours.
“The Minister of Health, the Minister in the Office of the President and the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Health came to us and said this problem must be solved,” said Nafisa Ladu Modi, the chairperson of the hospital staff committee.
Juba Teaching Hospital is one of the government hospitals in the country, administered by the National Ministry of Health.