Nigeria TV Info — Protests Escalate in Madagascar as Medical Workers Join Nationwide Demonstrations

Antananarivo, Madagascar — Protests continued across Madagascar on Tuesday, intensifying just a day after President Andry Rajoelina appointed a new prime minister. The unrest has now spread to the healthcare sector, with hundreds of medical students and junior doctors taking to the streets in the capital.

The demonstrators, who marched out of the Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Hospital — the country’s largest public hospital — headed towards the Ministry of Health in Antananarivo to demand better working conditions and pay.

The situation grew tense when police blocked the protesters just a few metres from the ministry building. After over an hour of negotiations, security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

“We are doing this for the Malagasy people because the quality of care in Madagascar is very poor,” said one of the protesters. “We will not return to work until our demands are met.”

Medical students in Madagascar reportedly earn as little as 25 euro cents per hour, while junior doctors make about €100 per month — roughly €1 an hour. Protesters are demanding that their pay be increased to €240 monthly.

“In terms of equipment and infrastructure, the situation is already so precarious — that’s the only word that can describe it,” said Dr. Santatra Andriamanantsoa. “Doctors are overwhelmed, attending to between 50 and 100 patients a day in some hospitals.”

In response to worsening conditions, junior doctors have suspended minimum service in public hospitals, adding further pressure to Madagascar’s already fragile healthcare system.