Protests continued across Madagascar on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, following President Andry Rajoelina’s appointment of a new prime minister just a day earlier. In the capital city of Antananarivo, the growing unrest has now spread to the healthcare sector.
Hundreds of medical students and junior doctors walked out of the Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Hospital, the largest public hospital in Antananarivo, to march toward the Ministry of Health, demanding better working conditions and reforms to the nation’s struggling healthcare system.
The demonstration intensified when police blocked the protesters a few meters from the ministry. After more than an hour of tense negotiations, security forces used 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 protester. “We will not return to work until our demands are met.”
Medical students in Madagascar earn an hourly wage equivalent to just €0.25, while junior doctors make roughly €100 per month, about €1 per hour. They are calling for a salary increase to €240 per month.
“In terms of equipment and infrastructure, the situation is already so precarious that’s the only word that can describe it. In terms of workload, doctors see around 50 to even 100 patients in some hospitals,” said Dr. Santatra Andriamanantsoa in an interview with Africanews.
In a show of protest, junior doctors have suspended the minimum service normally maintained in public hospitals, further straining an already fragile healthcare system.
These demonstrations come shortly after President Rajoelina appointed a new prime minister from the military in an effort to calm the mounting crisis. The president announced plans to hold a “national dialogue” on Wednesday with various stakeholders, following a 48-hour ultimatum from youth protesters demanding action or threatening a nationwide strike.
