The Autonomous Union of Doctors, Pharmacists and Dental Surgeons of Senegal (SAMES) has called a nationwide 48-hour strike for September 23 and 24, following an impasse in negotiations with the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene.
The decision by SAMES’ National Executive Bureau follows a preliminary two-day walkout on September 16 and 17, which union leadership reported drew a 99.3 percent participation rate across healthcare facilities nationwide.
Talks held between union representatives and the Minister of Health failed to yield concrete commitments or a structured timeline regarding the doctors’ multi-sectoral demands. Despite expanding the industrial action across public health institutions, SAMES affirmed that emergency and critical care services will remain operational throughout the two-day period to guarantee essential patient care while union members await formal negotiations with government authorities.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA