Healthcare workers’ unions have suspended today’s planned strike to protest government’s failure to effect payment of their allowances approved in February this year, but backdated to November 2023.

The U-turn came after Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, during a meeting at Capital Hill in Lilongwe, pleaded with the healthcare workers to suspend the strike as it had the potential to paralyse service delivery.

In a telephone interview last evening, Physician Assistants Union of Malawi (Paum) president Solomon David Chomba confirmed the development, saying the minister has assured that she will provide concrete feedback within two weeks.

He said: “We have suspended the protests to give room to the minister to fulfils her commitment. There is a commitment from her that within two weeks, she will give us concrete feedback.

“During the meeting, the minister said she has started engaging the Ministry of Finance, and that has also been assured to us in writing today [Wednesday]. This time, we will no longer be dealing with officials, but the minister herself.”

National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi (Nonm) and Paum have been at the forefront of the push and got the support of members of the Society of Medical Doctors (SMD), Anaesthesia Association of Malawi (AAM) and Physiotherapy Association of Malawi (PAM) in the protests.

During the three-hour meeting on Tuesday, Chiponda is said to have pledged to intervene to ensure that their demands are considered at the soonest possible time, according to Chomba.

Through Nonm and Paum, healthcare staff gave government a April 12 2024 deadline to implement the revised allowances, but government said it would provide a response by April 26 2024. However, the response did not come on the appointed day; hence, the decision to proceed with the protest.

In a separate interview, Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said they will continue engaging Treasury to resolve the matter.

He said: “We are not at a time to tell the public the extent of our discussion. Suffice to say we are making progress as we keep engaging Treasury on the same.”

SMD president Victor Mithi yesterday said Paum and Nonm had shown that they put patients first as they have cancelled the strike several times and opted for dialogue.

He said his organisation was ready to join the protest should the dialogue fail.

In a separate interview, PAM president Prince Steven Makupe said failure to address healthcare workers’ concerns undermined the dignity of health professionals and jeopardises the quality of care being provided.

On his part, AAM president Joel Moyo hoped that the solutions to the impasse will help to improve the lives of healthcare workers as well as the community that they serve.

Malawi Environmental Health Association  president Save Kumwenda, also hoped that the issues will expeditiously be addressed to avoid negatively impacting the lives of many Malawians.

Besides agreeing to implement a 15 percent salary increment, government committed to increase several allowances, including locum rates, risk or medical allowance, government top-up and professional allowance.

The February 13 2024 agreement document signed by Secretary for Health Dr Samson Mndolo, conciliator and Malawi Human Rights Commission executive secretary Habiba Osman, Nonm president Shouts Simeza and Chomba indicates that the proposed monthly professional allowance will jump to K30 000 from K1 800 for juniors and K2 800 for seniors.

For the government top-up allowance, junior health workers in Grade M could get K70 000 from K20 000 while the highest in Grade C will get K710 400.

On the risk or medical allowance, grades M to I will receive K150 000 from K50 000, Grade C will get K60 000.

Minus the locum rates, this means an assistant medical officer in Grade L could get K250 000 monthly in risk, government top up and professional allowances.

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