Public Sector Doctors Announce National Strike on December 4-5, 2024

The National Bureau of the Independent Union of Public Sector Doctors has announced a nationwide strike on Wednesday and Thursday, December 4-5, 2024. Emergency and intensive care units will be exempted from the strike.

According to a statement, the union’s administrative committee and national council will meet on Saturday, December 7, 2024. Additionally, the bureau has decided to:

• Strictly enforce medical and hygiene standards in all departments and surgical units, excluding emergencies.

• Refrain from issuing certain medical certificates, such as those for driving licenses, except for sick leave certificates related to treatment.

• Boycott the “Oasis” program and similar initiatives, as well as school health campaigns due to inadequate standards.

• Reject surgical campaigns that fail to meet medical and patient safety standards.

• Refuse participation in medical caravans and non-medical administrative tasks, except for legally mandated ones like birth and death certificates.

• Suspend medical coverage for events not meeting ministerial guidelines.

The bureau also criticized the lack of dialogue or measures to ease the sector’s growing tensions.

Given the sector’s critical state, the union reaffirmed its demand for centralized budget allocations, salaries funded by the general budget, and full public servant status while calling for amendments to laws 08.22 and 09.22.

Finally, the union urged the government to honor its commitments and reconsider provisions in the 2025 Finance Bill.