The Congolese government has secured a breakthrough agreement with medical professionals after intensive negotiations. In a landmark announcement during the 94th Council of Ministers meeting, Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Jean-Pierre Tshimanga Bwana, standing in for Public Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba (currently in Bunia for Ebola response efforts), outlined the government’s commitments to address long-standing health sector grievances.

Under the agreement reached between government representatives and medical unions, several key demands have been accepted. These include the full integration of salary supplements into the official payroll starting Q3 2026, the alignment of 200 physicians’ salaries, and prioritization of the health sector in ongoing civil service mechanization initiatives.

The government also pledged expedited processing of administrative documents for doctors in special categories (National Police, Armed Forces, and Higher Education), and committed to cleaning up the payroll system to improve staff management and compensation accuracy. “Both parties agreed to review the alignment of other medical professional categories in August 2026,” Minister Tshimanga Bwana confirmed.

In light of these developments, the health workers’ union coordination committee has decided to end their nationwide strike. This follows weeks of intensified action by the National Medical Syndicate (Synamed), which had escalated to “Hospitals Without Doctors” operations from July 7-16 across most provinces (excluding Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu). The syndicate had cited unmet government commitments and lack of dialogue despite presidential directives.

During the strike period, only emergency services and blood banks remained operational, with urgent cases redirected to designated facilities. Synamed had maintained that members would continue protesting until all demands were satisfied.

By Clément Muamba