Lui Hospital, where the injured are receiving treatments | Credit | Lakamadi Youth Forum LYF

Over 30 health workers at Lui Hospital in Mundri, Western Equatoria, State, have declined to sign new contracts after what they call salary cuts by their employer, CUAMM.

“As a clinical officer, I’m paid only $140 per month and the cleaners they receive about $50 per month,” one of the staff disclosed.

CUAMM – also known as Doctors With Africa – is an Italian International non-governmental organization operating in parts of the country, including Mundri.

The organization supports public health centres in providing healthcare in some hard-to-reach areas in the country.

Stephen Saba and James Primo are among the protesting health workers.

“The contract delayed up-to January 15th, that’s when they released the contract.,” they said.

“When the contract came out, we found out the previous money we used to get has been deducted.”

They added that they had repeatedly requested their employer to increase their salaries, but instead reduced the remunerations.

The clinicians and nurses say they used to be paid between 115 and 140 US dollars, – amounts they say are too little to cater for their basic needs.

The least paid among them are cleaners.

According to Saba and Primo, despite lodging their complaints, the organization has been reluctant to address their grievances.

“We need them to pay us money that can make someone happy.”

Their last complaint, they said, was in November last year, a month before their contracts came to an end.

 Efforts to contact CUAMM were not immediately successful

But, Hasap Muremi, Lui Hospital administrator, confirmed the matter.

He said when he contacted CUAMM over the issue, the organization informed him, and it is yet to sign an MOU with the church before reviewing the employees’ structure.

“CUAMM said they cannot increase salaries at the beginning of the contract because they are still going to sign a memorandum of understanding with the church, and also that they are working on the increment of salaries with the ministry of health.”

Muremi added that the organization called on the health workers who refused to sign the new contract to be patient.