Health sector strike : unions call for a rally outside Ministry of Health

ALGIERS- The National Union of Public Health Specialists (SNPSSP) and the National Union of Public Health Practitioners (SNPSP) on Saturday here have called for a rally Wednesday in the capital Algiers outside the headquarters of the Ministry of Health, Population and Hospital Reform, under their strike started last November.

• In addition to the rally scheduled in Algiers, "other rallies will be held at the administrative centres of Constantine, Annaba, Oran, and Ouargla," SNPSSP Chairman, Dr. Mohamed Yousfi, told a news conference conducted together with SNPSP Chairman, Dr. Lyes Merabet.
• After having recalled public health efforts made particularly during the difficult years experienced by the country, Dr. Yousfi said that practitioners "are only claiming their rights under the laws of the Republic and the civil service statute like other sectors.""The settlement of some of the sector’s issues does not require money," he underscored.
• For his part, Dr. Merabet said the protest movement initiated by the two unions for over two months "will continue during the next week, while providing reduced service in hospitals."
• In the same context, he stressed that the strike puts practicing physicians and citizens in a "difficult" situation due to the cessation of consultations within hospitals, while stressing on the fact that the two unions have embarked on this strike in "legally" as they "followed all legal procedures before the strike was launched on 23rd November 2009."
• Dr. Merabet urged the ministry to "reopen dialogue," reiterating the availability of both unions to "return to the negotiating table in keeping with the law and within the framework of conciliation meetings."
• As to the appeal launched by the Ministry of Health towards both unions to hold on Saturday a meeting of the committee set up at its level, for examining the benefits system, Dr. Merabet said that "the designation of representatives of both unions only is unacceptable, since public health practitioner unions includes several sectors, each with its own allowance system."
• The SNPSSP and SNPSP are calling for reviewing the status of public health practitioners issued in 2009.
• They also call for the revision of the allowance system, the right to housing, and compliance with the enforcement of the law on official weekend.
• The Ministry of Health, Population and Hospital Reform, has called on striking doctors to exercise "restraint and to resume work," believing that "everyone is called to making greater efforts in such circumstances and to the patient's interest above all considerations."
• The ministry said it remains "open to dialogue to find solutions to public health specialists and practitioners.
• Ennaharonline/ APS