Reflections on the health workers' strike at Malawi's major tertiary hospital, QECH, Blantyre, 2001: a case study

Health workers and support staff at Malawi's major referral hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, were on strike between 5th and 19th October 2001. The health workers' grievances included: lack of risk allowances; poor professional allowances; low salaries; and low housing allowances. The strike resulted in almost total closure of the 1500-bed hospital; only the burns and orthopaedic wards continued to serve patients. Volunteer staff, comprising the Red Cross, and nursing and medical students provided services. Verbal and written threats by the authorities had minimal effect on terminating the strike; rather, they encouraged the resolve to continue with the industrial action. We report aspects of the genesis, progress and resolution of the strike. Although not much seems to have been achieved, both the employer and the workers need to draw lessons from the experience.