Santé : And Gueusseum menace de reprendre la lutte syndicale face au silence du gouvernement
The Alliance of Autonomous Health Unions (ASAS), which includes SUTSAS, SUDTM, SAT Santé/D-CNTS Santé, and SAT/CL, united within And Gueusseum, is raising its voice. After a truce observed for humanitarian reasons due to the year's bad weather, the collective has announced that it may relaunch a new union action plan if its demands are not met.
According to And Gueusseum, the Ministry of Civil Service has failed to keep its promise to hold a plenary session to regularize the actions owed to health workers. The group denounces the government's "silence" and "incomprehensible inertia" in implementing the residual agreements already signed.
"The strike notice filed on May 6, 2025 expires on November 6. In the absence of concrete solutions, we will be forced to dig up the hatchet," warns the And Gueusseum Board, which points to the State's responsibility for the consequences that could result from a paralysis of the health system, especially in the midst of the emergence of Rift Valley fever and monkeypox.
In a context marked by the emergence of new health threats, And Gueusseum is calling on the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene to implement a paradigm shift. The union is demanding massive information and awareness campaigns for the population, as well as training and protection for healthcare personnel.
He also deplores the "hibernation" of the National Service for Information and Education for Health (SNIES), which, according to him, should play a central role in supporting and educating the population.
The union has not minced its words against certain dysfunctions in the sector. It criticizes the management of the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP), the delay in paying salaries for the Buffet Program, as well as the management of hospitals entrusted to doctors despite the existence of many qualified managers left on the sidelines.
"While experienced directors are being pushed aside, managers remain idle. This is a waste for the system," insists And Gueusseum.
The collective also opposes the Ministry of Health's "lone-wolf" approach, which is reportedly working behind the scenes on hospital reform and the revision of the health map. The creation of a new position of "ICP doctor" (head doctor of health post) is considered problematic by the unions, who point out that, in many centers, nurses are already taking on medical responsibilities, often illegally, due to a lack of doctors.
In contrast to these denunciations, And Gueusseum welcomed the success of the 3rd SUTSAS Winter University, organized under the theme: "Health sovereignty in Senegal: structural challenges, social dynamics and levers for action."
The meeting highlighted several obstacles to the country's health autonomy, including a lack of funding, human resources, and infrastructure, as well as pharmaceutical dependence. It also identified avenues for action: improved governance, local pharmaceutical industrialization, and the development of human capital in health.
With the union truce coming to an end, the specter of a fourth wave of mobilization looms over the healthcare system. Gueusseum warns that if nothing changes by November, the state will be held responsible for the blockage. This is a dreaded scenario at a time when the country is already facing the threat of emerging epidemics.
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