CAIRO: The Doctors’ Syndicate called on Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif to expedite the distribution of promised raises.
Syndicate Chairman Hamdy El-Sayyed sent a letter to Nazif asking for a meeting to discuss the status of doctors’ demands, including the promised salary increases agreed upon by the Ministries of Health and Finance.
In the letter, El-Sayyed said the government has not yet granted raises to doctors working in educational hospitals and medical insurance hospitals, while other doctors working as specialists and assistant doctors have all been given raises.
El-Sayyed cited the syndicate’s compromises in their financial demands given the global financial crisis.
“We have compromised in our demands to establish a law [stipulating fixed annual raises] and accepted a sum of raises and bonuses instead of a law, El-Sayyed wrote.
The Doctors’ Syndicate has not yet received a response from the prime minister, El-Sayyed told Daily News Egypt.
“The government is moving very slowly when it comes to the doctors’ financial demands and we are very worried about this attitude, he said.
The Ministry of Finance, El-Sayyed added, is reluctant to promote decisions that involve allocating money for the health sector including the Ministry of Health.
“We [doctors] do not know what the situation will be if our demands are not met, El-Sayyed said, adding that he is concerned about an escalation that might lead to protests.
“The syndicate will do its best so as not to resort to protests, because it is very dangerous for a sector like the health sector to protest, El-Sayyed added.
Last year, doctors staged a series of protests until the government agreed to increase the salaries of certain caliber of doctors, especially young ones, by a few hundred pounds.
The syndicate has long been calling for a LE 1,000 minimum wage for doctors.
