Doctors urge government to increase pay, improve working conditions  

JUBA – South Sudan’s Doctors Union is calling on the government of national unity to increase their salaries and improve the poor working conditions for medical personnel in the country.

“All doctors across the country are calling for improvement of salaries, improvement of working conditions and retention packages,” said the press release issued on Saturday.

The group also called on the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Labor to revise and adjust salary scales for health professionals in private and public sectors.

“All health workers are paid too little with no benefits and poor retention packages and doctors serving in public sectors lack other employment privileges,” the group said in a statement seen by the Dawn Newspaper.

The group stressed the need to be included in decision making to help in improving health workers.

“Doctors possess little or no control over the decision making to improve the working conditions or the environment they work in. This is why you see hospitals exist without oxygen or links to blood transfusions services,” they said.

The Union disclosed the medical schools are collapsing due to lack of funding to motivate lecturers.

“Medical schools are crashing for lack of funding to recruit lecturers, improve infrastructure, set up libraries, laboratories, dissection rooms and acquire necessary teaching aids or models for students,” the group said.