And Gueusseum Alliance announces 48-hour total healthcare strike in Senegal

The healthcare sector in Senegal is facing significant escalation as the And Gueusseum Alliance of autonomous health unions announced a 48-hour total strike scheduled for September 17 and 18. In a departure from previous actions, the alliance has stated there will be no emergency care coverage and no minimum service maintained during these two days across the entire national territory.

The strike is part of the organization’s 15th action plan, prompted by what unions describe as a lack of significant progress regarding the legitimate demands of health and social action workers. Additional measures include the continued retention of health and social data and a boycott of the National Tuberculosis Program outside of health facilities.

Simultaneously, the SAMES union of doctors, pharmacists, and dentists has scheduled its own 48-hour strike for September 8 and 9. This union has criticized the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene for failing to attend a meeting that the minister himself had convened. The And Gueusseum Alliance plans to hold general assemblies and regional press conferences to inform the public, with a formal evaluation of their action plan set for September 19.