Public hospital support staff suspend sit-in
Public Hospital Support Staff have suspended their sit-in, which began on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, pending discussions with the Ministry of Health scheduled for this Friday.
Clement Nkhoma, spokesperson for the supporting staff at Kamuzu Central Hospital, confirmed the development to Capital Online.
“Yes, we have suspended the strike immediately and have agreed to return to our respective duties while we wait for the meeting on Friday,” said Nkhoma.
The workers are demanding their pension dues from the government, which date back to 2006 and are also seeking the implementation of a 52 percent salary hike.
However, Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe expressed disappointment over the sit-in, arguing that their discussions were ongoing.
“I must be honest with you, we are both disappointed and surprised because our discussions with the concerned workers are still in progress, and we agreed to meet this Friday,” said Chikumbe.
“We had engaged with their leadership to provide us with a list of workers entitled to arrears and the amounts each is supposed to receive, as not all of them started working in 2006, and they haven’t yet provided us with those details,” Chikumbe explained.
He further indicated that the ministry remains open to further engagements and will still meet with the supporting staff on Friday.
The supporting staff includes ward clerks, hospital attendants, and laundry assistants
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