Lasting solution to doctors’ grievances saves lives

It never dawned in the minds of many people that a simple strike by 229 medical interns at Muhimbili National Hospital, which started on the 3rd of January, would fast spread into a fully fledged strike by qualified doctors countrywide. The interns downed tools pressing the government to pay them overdue allowances amounting to 176m/-.

Though it didn’t take the government three days to pay up the arrears, the interns got the shock of their lives when they called off the strike only to be welcomed by dismissal letters. And, this marked the beginning of the whole saga as the Medical Association of Tanzania intervened, giving the government an ultimatum. Instead of engaging the medical practitioners and find a lasting solution, some Ministry of Health and Social Welfare officials scoffed at the ultimatum.

This led to bickering between the two parties as a permanent solution became evasive. And, when the impasse could not be broken, the doctors downed tools and are now on a countrywide strike of which if not urgently solved can also act as a spark plug for other strikes.

The strike has caused untold suffering among wananchi who risk losing their lives because they can’t access doctors. Private doctors are beyond the reach of many and their facilities will be crowded.

This has prompted Sikika, an NGO dealing with health issues to urge the government and the doctors to come to an agreement for the benefit of the ordinary person on the streets.

In a press statement released recently, the organisation’s executive director, Irenei Kiria urged the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) to urgently find a just solution to doctors’ grievances to maintain undisrupted access to healthcare services in the country, adding, “The primary roles of both the MoHSW and medical doctors are to promote the wellbeing of citizens and save lives. They should both effectively work to achieve this.”

“The strike is causing untold suffering to patients accessing public healthcare services, and it is Sikika’s belief that the Ministry had the time and ability to resolve and avert this crisis thus avoid the current consequences,” the statement read.

The medical doctors are demanding better pay, adequate equipment and improved working conditions to facilitate the provision of quality health care services in public health facilities.

“While Sikika understands that Tshs 4.5 billion has been allocated in the current fiscal year to pay allowances to medical interns, it is unclear as to why these payments have been delayed.

“Internally, Tanzania is already going through a myriad of social and economic challenges, resulting from poor planning and weak accountability. As a consequence, the Health sector has also suffered. To address our economic challenges we need healthy citizens, hence, increased contribution by the health sector,” Irenei said.

He went on to say that the ministry of health should seek to build its team to play its role more effectively in our society. “They must work together with healthcare providers to address issues of poor quality service delivery, health promotion, access and affordability. Participatory planning and budgeting must be implemented in order to reflect realities on the ground.

“Sikika therefore urges the Ministry of Health to urgently resolve its differences with the medical doctors in Tanzania and improve relationships with other medical cadres as well. The Ministry of Health has the responsibility to ensure the health of citizens, and in turn to contribute to the social and economic development of the country,” Kiria said.

The failure by the government to find a lasting solution is bent on increasing wananchi’s suffering. Many hospitals were declining to accept patients because it was impossible for the skeletal staff already burdened by those under their care to attend to fresh cases.

Doctors are already a rare species in this country as they are in short supply. The government should take decisive action to save the situation by addressing the grievances of these medical practitioners whose morale has hit rock bottom.

It is an open secret that many rural health institutions don’t have doctors and they don’t even dream of having one in the near future. This then means that the government should come up with ways of addressing the problem once and for all. There is no need to wait for the situation to deteriorate further as this might cause other health workers such as nurses to join the strike.

In fact, the government should not wait for workers to down tools for them to act. Prevention has and will always be better than cure. Doctors on the other side should not throw ethics to the dogs. They should work towards a compromise and make sure that their grievances are worked on while they are working.

It is therefore, important for the two warring parties to find an urgent solution to avert wananchi’s suffering and save lives, especially of the poor.