The COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers reconsider the peaceful strike on humanity ground in South Sudan

On 27^th May 2021, the COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers went on peacefully strike demanding unpaid 9 months incentives from the Ministry of Health and the National High-Level Taskforce.

However, in the last two weeks of peaceful lay down of tools by the workers, the committee which was constituted to follow up the payments of staff with the Ministry of Health was able to engage in a series of meetings but, all the meetings conducted couldn’t produce any positive results.

Though the Ministry of Health acknowledged that it’s the legal right of the COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare workers’ to be given their unpaid 9-months, still failed, neither have they clearly mentioned when to pay nor addressing the concerns of the staff.

You can imagine, the COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers, committed despites the daily life challenges while saving the people’s lives from diseases in South Sudan couldn’t meet up the expenses to save their own dependent’s life because of lack of willingness and stewardship by the MOH/National Taskforce, for having not paid 9 months from (Sept 2020 to May 2021) which is so annoying and discouraging.

As of 11^th June 2021, the COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers sat down and agreed to reconsider and ease the peaceful strike on humanity ground for all South Sudanese. Therefore, this press release serves to inform the General Public, Media Houses, Activists, Civil Society, the Supporting Partners and the government of South Sudan that the COVID-19 Frontline Health Workers have resumed their activities as of today 13¹¹¹ June 2021.

Nevertheless, COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers still calls upon the South Sudanese’s President and presidency to look into the concerns of the neglected COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers. It’s on these bases that we still calls for the intervention of the top leadership to protect the rights of the COVID-19 healthcare workers.

Last but not least, the government of South Sudan and the Donor communities should continue supporting the Ministry of Health because the healthcare system in South Sudan is still very weak to manage COVID- 19 invested resources and thus there is a high need for accountability and auditing to avoid the misuse and mismanagement of resources by/in the Ministry of Health and National Taskforce.