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Medical students and junior doctors went on strike to demand better working conditions and an improved healthcare system.
A day after President Andry Rajoelina appointed a new prime minister, protests went on unabated, giving vent to the anger of youth and others. In Antananarivo, hundreds of medical students and junior doctors left Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Hospital — the largest public hospital in Antananarivo — on Tuesday to march to the Ministry of Health.
The demonstration quickly escalated. A few metres from the ministry, police blocked the way. After over an hour of negotiations, security forces used tear gas to disperse the protesters. Medical students and junior doctors went on strike to demand better working conditions and an improved healthcare system.
Medical students in Madagascar receive an hourly wage equivalent to 25-euro cents. Junior doctors are paid barely €100 per month (€1 per hour) and are demanding a pay rise to €240. In protest, junior doctors have announced the suspension of minimum service in public hospitals.
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The president said he planned to hold a “national dialogue” with various groups on Wednesday, after youth protesters issued a 48-hour ultimatum for him to agree to their demands or face a national strike.