Maputo — Mozambican Health Minister Ussene Isse on Tuesday recognised the legitimacy of the wage demands made by health workers, but warned that going on strike violates medical ethics.

Speaking at Niassa provincial hospital, in the northern city of Lichinga, Isse said the government is aware of the problems facing health professionals, but is trying to solve them. He asked for their patience.

Ceasing to care for patients cannot be the way forward, said the Minister, cited in Wednesday's issue of the independent newssheet "Mediafax'. The government has the will to solve their problems, but currently it does not have the resources.

He was speaking in the second day of a strike by workers of the public administration, including health professionals, who are demanding that the government pay them the traditional New Year bonus. This is known as "the 13th month', since it is equivalent to payment of an extra month of the basic wage.

But there is no legal basis for this demand. Although the workers insist that the "13th month' is a right, in fact it is just a tradition, which is not covered by the work contracts.

Health workers, Isse said, should understand that their duty was to stay at work, and not allow any patients to die because of their absence. "We have sworn an oath', he said. "We swear an oath, and then you don't want to work. What is this? The patient is our priority'.

Obedience to the strike call has been patchy across the country. Neither the unions nor the government have given any figures about how many workers of the public administration have gone on strike.

According to the independent television station, STV, many workers at Maputo Central Hospital, the country's largest health unit, did not show up for work on Monday morning, but by the afternoon the situation was returning to normal. But reports from other health units were that patients were sent home, because there was nobody to care for them.