Algerian doctors slash at the health minister's intimidations

Several hospitals have summoned the doctors who went on strike to justify the three month delay witnessed in the scheduled surgical operations in various hospitals, especially for children at Hassen Badi hospital in “Belfort”, here in Algiers.

• The Medical Practitioners’ Union Secretary General, Lyes Merabet has revealed in a declaration to Echourok that “thousands of operations have been called –off for four months because of the doctors’ strike that lasted the same duration following the conflict that broke out between the health ministry and the medical practitioners”.
• The administration’s move has sparked anger among the doctors who consider it as another provocation and an intimidation from the tutelage, according to Lyes Merabet and the Union of Public Health Specialists Secretary General Mohammed Youcefi who represent 30 thousand doctors, specialists, pharmacists and dental surgeons over the country.
• The medical practitioners have yesterday organized a silent protest to express their” mourning and sorrow” over the health sector’s situation whom they consider” it has reached a late putrefaction” in the wake of the health minister’s decisions to sack the strikers who are still reluctant to resume work, forcing them to yield.
• Thousands of doctors went on a silent march between the different pavilions of Mustapha Bacha hospital, Algiers, until the main gate where they met face-to face with the riot- police who prevented them to leave the premises. They sat down for an hour and half silent in front of the riot police behind the hospital’s main entrance.
• Mohammed Youcefi has declared that negotiations are underway to coordinate with the education Unions to start a unified protest movement that will likely paralyse 70% of the civil servant sector. He has addressed the health minister saying”  stop void declarations and show us your abilities on the terrain”.