DRC health sector: government reaches deal to end doctors’ strike

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government has reached a landmark agreement with the medical profession, bringing an end to a crippling doctors’ strike that had paralyzed the national health system for nearly two weeks.

In a historic session chaired by President Félix Tshisekedi, the Council of Ministers approved a comprehensive package of measures addressing long-standing grievances from the country’s medical community. The breakthrough comes after intensive negotiations between government officials and representatives of the Syndicat National des Médecins (SYNAMED).

Key concessions secured by medical professionals

The agreement includes several significant commitments that address the core demands of the striking doctors:

• Full salary integration: All supplementary payments will be permanently incorporated into the official payroll starting Q3 2026
• Physician realignment: 200 doctors will receive immediate salary adjustments to match standard government pay scales
• Priority treatment: The health sector will receive preferential consideration in the government’s ongoing civil service mechanization program
• Administrative streamlining: Expedited processing of professional files for doctors serving in special regimes (National Police, Armed Forces, Higher Education)
• Payroll audit: Implementation of a comprehensive payroll cleansing initiative to eliminate ghost workers and improve remuneration accuracy

Government response to medical sector crisis

Speaking from Bunia where he was leading the Ebola response in Ituri Province, Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Jean-Pierre Tshimanga Bwana presented the government’s position to the Council. He emphasized that the administration had demonstrated its commitment to resolving the crisis through two crucial negotiation sessions on June 23 and July 7.

The breakthrough agreement specifically addresses the grievances that led to SYNAMED’s “Hospitals Without Doctors” campaign, which had threatened to withhold all non-emergency services nationwide from July 7-16. Under the terms of the new agreement, the government has agreed to conduct additional negotiations in August 2026 regarding salary alignment for other medical professional categories.

Immediate impact on healthcare delivery

With the strike officially called off following the government’s concessions, the health system is expected to resume normal operations immediately. Emergency services and blood banks will continue operating at full capacity, while urgent cases that were being redirected to designated facilities will return to their regular hospitals.

The resolution of this dispute represents a significant victory for the medical profession while simultaneously restoring critical healthcare services to millions of Congolese citizens who had been affected by the prolonged work stoppage.