Mozambique doctors on pay strike

Mozambique doctors went on strike demanding higher pay and accusing the government of reneging on a January promise to double their wages, the medics association said.

"The strike is going ahead. The strike will only stop when the government answers our demands," the spokesman for the Mozambican Medical Association, Paulo Gudo, told AFP.

Medics say the government has failed to fulfil its promise made after a nine-day strike in January.

Last month their salaries were hiked by 15 percent.

Local media has reported that doctors are demanding a monthly basic wage of $3,000 while the government was offering between $670 and $1,275.

Mozambique has a total of 1,200 doctors in both public and private practice countrywide, with a ratio of one doctor to 22,000 Mozambicans.

Prime Minister Alberto Vaquina has urged doctors not to take part in the strike, saying they have a responsibility towards patients.

Military medics are likely to step in to provide services during the strike.