Doctors in Sierra Leone have announced that they have suspended their proposed  sit-down strike which was to begin today, Wednesday, October 23, 2024.  The proposed strike was due to delays in receiving their quarterly fuel allocation, which is due to them according to the Sierra Leone Civil Service Code. 

During a press conference held on Monday, doctors announced that they were going ahead with an indefinite strike, accusing the government of not addressing their initial 21-day ultimatum, which expired on October 22, 2024.

The President of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA) Dr. Frederick Coker said their membership had met with the government who had promised to provide the allowance in a timely manner to prevent the strike. 

SLMDA said they have given the government seven working days to meet their demands.

Government’s Response

Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, stated that the government provided fuel for the first and second quarters and is finalizing arrangements for the third quarter. He added that the delay is because the government is trying to pay salaries.

Doctors prefer to receive their fuel allocation together with their salaries. 

SLMDA said a key demand in their letters to the government has been to chart a way forward on how to improve their fuel supply.

In 2022, Demby announced that the government would give weekly fuel vouchers to the doctors, along with a salary increase that took effect in September of that year. Coker said the government provided fuel for the last two quarters of 2022. 

However, the government initially only paid for two quarters in 2023 instead of four. “This led to a lot of agitation,”  said Coker. After this, the government provided for the remaining two quarters, he said.

Demby said the cost of fuel allocation for one quarter is around LE 7.5 million. As a result of this, the fuel voucher for the first and second quarters of 2024 was paid in September. 

There are some doctors who also have not been receiving their fuel allocation at all. The Vice President of SLMDA, Dr. Samba Jalloh, said he is one of such doctors. 

The government plans on creating a supplementary list for doctors in this category. A committee will also be set for the management of doctors’ fuel allocation.

Dr. Austin Demby addressing doctors’s concerns at the government’s weekly press conference
Photo credits: Ministry of Information and Civic Education

Past Incidences of Strike Action by Doctors in Sierra Leone

Doctors in Sierra Leone have protested their conditions of service several times in the past couple of years through strikes. 

In 2022, medical doctors went on strike over low pay and lack of benefits. According to the doctors, this was as a result of a 20-40% loss in their take-home pay after the government ended their monthly covid-19 risk allowance. 

In 2018 and 2020, doctors also staged strikes, protesting low pay, poor working conditions and unpaid bonuses. The poor conditions of service, which cuts across all sectors,  appears to be an age-old problem. More than a decade ago, in 2010, doctors also laid down their tools on similar grounds.  

Potential Implications of the Strike on the Public

An industrial action by doctors will derail the country from the recent progresses that have been made in the health sector. 

The country’s health outcomes have been one of the worst globally as a result of far more patients than doctors. The country currently has about 500 doctors for a population of 8.5 million people. 

This may be further worsened if the doctors proceed on their strike leaving thousands of patients unattended.