Senegal: Doctors to Strike for 48 Hours Due to Lack of Agreement

Doctors, pharmacists, and dentists affiliated with the SAMES union are set to observe a new 48-hour national strike in Senegal on Wednesday, September 23, and Thursday, September 24. This action follows a meeting with the Ministry of Health that the union deemed unproductive. Emergency services will remain operational.

This latest mobilization comes less than a week after the strike on September 16 and 17. The Autonomous Union of Doctors, Pharmacists, and Dentists of Senegal claims that the compliance rate reached 99.3% on the second day. This figure is reported by the union and has not been verified by an independent measure.

The national executive bureau of SAMES convened on September 18 to assess the previous strike and review discussions with the government. According to their statement, the meeting held the same day with the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene did not result in any concrete measures or verifiable commitments regarding their demands.

The union is calling on the state for a more structured coordination among the sectors related to its demands. Its platform, submitted in 2023, addresses several issues concerning the professional situation of doctors, pharmacists, and dentists, as well as previous commitments made by the state.

The strike on September 23 and 24 will apply to areas and facilities under SAMES across the country. However, the organization specifies that emergency services will be maintained. During previous strike days, consultations and some scheduled procedures were disrupted in several healthcare facilities.

This movement is part of a broader social sequence that has been ongoing for several weeks. In July, SAMES had already called for the resumption of negotiations with the government and urged its members to prepare for an action plan, particularly demanding the implementation of outstanding agreements.