Mozambique’s public health system is bracing for major disruption as the Association of United Mozambican Health Professionals (APSUSM) escalates its nationwide strike to a full shutdown of services across all health units.
Following a week of limited operations and reduced hospital hours, the Union announced that from 30 April, healthcare facilities will be completely closed daily from 15:30, in what it calls a “mixing phase” of industrial action. The strike is set to last at least five days, ending on 5 May, unless the Government meets union demands for urgent reforms in the country’s struggling health sector.
APSUSM chairperson Anselmo Muchave stated the intensification was inevitable due to the government’s failure to act on longstanding grievances. He called for concrete timelines for improving working conditions, ensuring regular medical supplies, and addressing the dire state of hospital infrastructure, including overcrowded wards and inadequate food for inpatients. Muchave emphasised that the strike is not a show of strength but a last resort to compel the government to honour previous agreements, warning that lives are at risk as patients already face long waits and chronic medicine shortages.
In response to government claims that the strike does not include all health professionals, Muchave dismissed the narrative as misleading, arguing that the impact of hospital closures cannot be understated. “This is not like a school where a lesson can be postponed,” he said. As tensions rise, APSUSM has already hinted at a third, more aggressive phase if authorities remain unresponsive. Meanwhile, neither the union nor the Health Ministry has released data on the number of workers participating or facilities affected, deepening uncertainty in a country already grappling with fragile healthcare provision.