Maputo — The Mozambican Association of United Health Professionals (APSUSM) has decided to extend its nationwide strike for a further 30 days due to the lack of understanding at their negotiations with the Health Ministry.

Sheila Chuquela, the APSUSM Secretary General, at a press conference on Monday, in Maputo, told reporters that "after 30 days of strike action, we are announcing the extension of the strike for another 30 days until the government understands the value of a life.'

But it is APSUSM that has boasted that, in the first three weeks of the strike, 1,000 patients died in the health units - which suggests that it is APSUSM, rather than the Ministry, which has little understanding of the value of life.

There is, fortunately, no evidence to back up the APSUSM claim of mass deaths during the strike, and Chuquela declined to give any updated figure on deaths.

Although APSUSM talks of a "nationwide' strike, reporters have found that many of the main hospitals are working normally, and many health workers have ignored the APSUSM strike calls.

Furthermore, the Health Ministry has denied the APSUSM claim of a generalized shortage of medicines.

Chuquela reacted by accusing the Ministry of lying. "I'm amazed that we've been following the government through the media, which claims that there are medicines in the warehouses, but doesn't explain why these medicines aren't available in hospital pharmacies. We have always said that there were no essential medicines for the diseases commonly treated in Mozambique'.

"These attitudes leave us unsure of the government's willingness to resolve the issues that are already well known and make us certain that we must not back down until the government actually writes in stone that it will make medical and surgical equipment available and improve the working conditions of our health units', Chuquela said.

She claimed that the government is harassing APSUSM members, by transferring, or threatening to transfer, professionals to remote areas.