The strike was called for by the junior doctors in both provinces who are yet to receive their salaries for the months of June and July. There are around 600 resident junior doctors in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces.
“As junior doctors, our only source of income are these salaries to continue with our duties, which has become quite the challenge in recent times,” Maha Sarchl, a resident junior doctor told Rudaw English on Tuesday.
“We have always stood by our people even through the most challenging of times. We have carried on with our duties even without being paid, as we have always considered the financial and economic challenges facing the Kurdistan Region, but we cannot continue like this any longer,” she added.
Scores of resident doctors at Sulaimani’s Shar hospital gathered in front of the hospital building on Tuesday demanding the immediate payment of their salaries and the organization of a stable schedule for wage distribution.
“We are not protesting over not being paid this month. We are protesting because we need to make sure that our financial entitlements are guaranteed on the dates they are supposed to be distributed,” Aria Salah, resident junior doctor at Shar hospital told Rudaw English.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has failed to pay its civil servants on time and in full for several years due to the financial crisis. Public sector employees have not been paid for the months of June and July following several failed deals with Baghdad.
Iraq's recently-passed budget law was supposed to end years-long dispute between Erbil and Baghdad over the Kurdistan Region’s federal share but both governments had to make further deals last week to finalize their agreement. The KRG claimed that all issues related to its share had been resolved and Baghdad would send the salaries of the Kurdish government soon.
