Health workers in Liberia as early as 12am on Tuesday embarked on a nationwide strike action that's according to the President of the Liberian National Physician Assistants Association (LINPAA), Theophilus T. Fayiah.
It can be recalled that months ago this paper reported that health workers through their leadership threatened to lockdown the country's health system if the Liberian Government fails to implement the salary reclassification policy for healthcare providers by 2025, but embarked on the process with less than two weeks to the end of 2024.
Theophilus Fayiah on the Truth Breakfast Shown via mobile phone on Tuesday disclosed that health workers across the country will stay away from job until government gets ready for their services by addressing their demands.
According to him, they are demanding that the government resolves the issue of salary disparity and to also do what he called reclassification which allows people who are offering specialized services to be paid according to their specialty and the services they are rendering the country.
"Some of them entered on the payroll as diploma holders, they have gone to acquire BSc you are yet to recognize their achievement, and you are yet to pay them by it.
Housing allowances, those that are working in the hinterland are deprived from so many services, we want you to consider giving their housing allowances, and medical insurance" he narrated.
He stated that because of low salary such as US$150 given to health workers, they are at times forced to neglect lever function test that is meant to enable them to secure their own health when they are charged US$50 or US$100 thereby leading to chronic disease that could have been prevented.
Mr. Fayiah, "We are tired with premature death, and we are tired with sending our children to substandard school, we are also tired with substandard living environment of our healthcare workers".
He explained that beginning February 2024 up to date they have made several radio appearances and sent dozens of written communications to the relevant authorities including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning as well as the Civil Service Agency regarding their plats, but they are yet to respond to the counts that were placed in the various communications.
Additionally, the National Health Workers Association of Liberia Boss said they have written the National Legislature explaining to them the level of which healthcare providers are working and the ways services have been provided only to call their attention but they refused to listen to them. He mentioned that it is from this backdrop and the fact that the Lawmakers are discussing the national budget, they as health workers have resolved to hold back their services until their demands can be addressed.
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He vowed that as long as government will close its ears to the demands of health workers, they too will continue their strike actions until government can open her ears to them.
