Sudanese security arrests another doctor as strike continues
November 18, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The independent doctors union, Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) on Friday said the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has arrested another doctor describing its renewed strike as complete success.
On 6 October, Sudanese doctors staged a strike and refused non-emergency treatments to patients to protest the poor working conditions, lack of medicines and protection of doctors after increasing attacks by frustrated patients and their families.
On 13 October, the CCSD called off the strike following government pledges to introduce a bill to the parliament to protect doctors, improve training conditions for registrars and improve work environment in hospitals.
However, the CCSD on November 8th announced resumption of a two-day strike every week during November, saying the government didn’t honour its commitments.
On November 12th, CCSD said it decided to increase the number of days on which strike action will take place to three days, saying the Health Ministry continues to drag its feet on the implementation of the agreement.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Friday, the CCSD said the NISS on Thursday morning arrested doctor Sara Faisal following four days of repeated summoning, pointing the number of the detained has now risen to 12 doctors.
Last week, Amnesty International urged the Sudanese government to release ten doctors arrested and to halt security summons to the striking members of CCSD.
The statement described the seventh day of the strike as “significant success”, saying that 75 hospital and health centres across the country have participated in it.
It pointed that electronic and foreign media have paid great attention to the strike as well as the national and international rights groups, saying this genuine attention has largely participated to the success of the strike.
The statement also praised the unity and efficient organization of the doctors, pointing to their effective and informative role via the social media networks.
Last Tuesday, the State Minister of Health Sumaia Akad threatened to take legal action against striking doctors, saying these actions include suspension of any doctor who refrains from work.
She stressed the Ministry of Health wouldn’t tolerate such a behavior, saying that several striking doctors have been recently suspended from work.
(ST)