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A campaign of arrests of Burundian doctors who resigned in protest over wages
A campaign of arrests of Burundian doctors who resigned in protest over wages
By: aljazeera.net Website
According to the Voice of America network, the doctors who were arrested between December 27 and January 31 face charges of “undermining the internal security of the state,” according to a union source.
These arrests come in light of an increasing wave of emigration of doctors from the country in recent years due to low wages.
Repression against doctors escalates
The union source confirmed that the arrested doctors were detained without official arrest warrants, and were placed in cells belonging to the intelligence service. He added that 4 other doctors received direct threats and intimidating messages aimed at intimidating them.
Official sources in the Ministry of Health and Security also confirmed to the Voice of America network that the arrests had taken place, as a security source stated that the arrested doctors “endangered the lives of citizens because of their actions,” noting that “some patients may have lost their lives as a result.”
Salary crisis
The doctors worked in public hospitals, as well as private medical structures effectively controlled by figures from the ruling CNDD-FDD party.
According to the Voice of America network, the doctors demanded a raise in their salaries, but their demands were rejected, which prompted them to submit their resignations from working in private structures, while they continued to work in public hospitals.
The doctor working in these structures receives a monthly salary estimated at approximately 164 euros, while the union demanded an increase in wages to 660 euros for full-time workers, which the authorities did not agree to.
Mass exodus of doctors
Burundian doctors, both specialists and generalists, have been leaving the country en masse since 2020, due to poor salaries.
Former Health Minister Sylvie Nzymana acknowledged this phenomenon during a session before the National Assembly in October 2023.
The minister explained that, based on a survey that included 80 hospitals, about 130 doctors had left the country since 2020, a year that also witnessed the outbreak of the “Covid-19” pandemic.
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