Doctors in Alexandria continued their strike Tuesday for the second consecutive week.
The strike includes 12 public hospitals, one of the doctors said. The doctors demand better salaries and security personnel to guard the hospitals from thugs.
The participants said nearly 75 percent of Alexandria’s hospitals have joined the strike, except for emergency departments, intensive care units, and some hospital receptions “to preserve the lives of patients."
The doctors demanded salary increases, saying they "do not receive all their rights in the medical sector."
On 13 September, Egyptian doctors announced they were starting a nationwide, open-ended strike.
In a statement Monday, Health Minister Amr Helmy said all ministry hospitals are working and that medical services provided to patients at government hospitals hasn't been affected.
Helmy said if necessary, his ministry would ensure that medical services were being provided to patients by providing hospital receptions and emergency departments with teams of doctors and medical convoys to compensate for a shortage of doctors.
A wave of protests in the medical sector began on 17 May which started with a partial doctors' strike followed by a general strike on 24 May after the health minister failed to respond to their demands.
The doctors also demand improved health services and the dismissal of icons of corruption from the Health Ministry.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
