Lesotho sacks hundreds of striking nurses as doctors warn of dire shortages

The African state was already struggling to cope with TB, HIV and Covid before latest response to demands for equal pay

Lesotho has sacked hundreds of its nurses over the past few days in a row over pay. The small southern African country's main hospital in the capital, Maseru, fired 345 nurses and nursing assistants, who have been on strike for the past month, with immediate effect.

The nurses went on strike to press the government-owned Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) to give them the same salaries as their counterparts in other government and private institutions. Opened in 2011, QMMH is state-owned but run by the Tepong Consortium, comprising five companies, namely Netcare Healthcare Group and Afri'nnai of South Africa, and Excel Health, Women Investment, and D10 Investments of Lesotho.