The Critical Care Center at Bor Hospital

Health workers in Bor State Hospital have lay down their tools after the state government and partners failed to pay their two months incentives.

The Director of the hospital, Dr. Bol Chaw Manyang confirmed to Eye Radio yesterday.

Dr. Bol says over two hundred health workers in the hospital have not shown up for work since Thursday.

He added that the hospital is only being operated by volunteers.

On Monday, the health workers gave the state authority and its partners to clear their two-month incentive arrears within three working days or otherwise lay down their tools.

In response the ministry of health in Jonglei state, Atong Kuol said that the transition from the former partners to the new partners has taken a bit longer – making the workers grow impatient.

The workers are financially supported by UNICEF through Médicos del Mundo or MDM.

However, after the MDM contract ended CARE International took up the task but the transition has been delayed.

“On Thursday they went on strike, they said they were not going to work until their arrears were paid. We did our best as the administration not to go on strike but all our pleas fell on deaf ears,” Dr. Bol told Eye Radio on Friday.

On Tuesday, the state minister of health Atong Kuol urged the staff to be patient as she addresses the matter.

However, the two days she requested for the staff to be patients’ elapsed on Thursday.

“We are asking them to go back to work and the government will handle this within two days to finish their incentives payment. Even if they go to the streets, it will only cause chaos and confusion and it will not bring the money. It’s only through understanding,” the state minister of health said.

“The administration is meeting on this and we are not turning a blind eye to this issue, we know its important and we are handling it, we just need more time to handle them.”