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Health Minister dealing with 'shocking' salaries at PSMAS
24 Jan 2014 at 06:57hrs | Views
Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa says they are urgently dealing with the "shocking" salaries being paid to managers at PSMAS.
Dr Parirenyatwa was responding to Senators questions in the Upper House yesterday. Manicaland Senator Patrick Chitaka (MDC-T) had asked if reports that Mr Dube was earning $230 000 were true and if such salaries were sustainable.
"We have already invited them to give us information to discuss this issue. We are not only looking at salaries but we are looking at what you are contributing as an individual and what they are paying to hospitals and service providers. So we are deeply investigating to make sure that as a population, we are not compromised," said Dr Parirenyatwa.
"We will look at the law and statutes and see whether they are satisfying the various requirements that are stipulated in the law. We do not want to say ‘yes' in terms of salaries that we have not yet confirmed."
PSMAS, said Dr Parirenyatwa, was jointly managed by his ministry, and the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Finance ministries.
Mashonaland West Senator Prisca Mupfumira (Zanu-PF) wanted to know if Government would suspend the Dube-led executive pending investigations, saying chances were that evidence might be suppressed should investigations be done while they were in office.
"We know that the law of the country stipulates that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Why don't you do as what happened at ZBC where the CEO was suspended to facilitate investigations because honestly how can you carry out investigations when one is in office?" she said.
"We are urgently looking at what you have said," responded Dr Parirenyatwa.
Chiefs Council president Fortune Charumbira asked if Government was dealing with the "obscene" salary structures in parastatals and State-owned entities.
"It is like they are in a different economy (from) others," he said.
Dr Parirenyatwa responded: "I share with you your sentiments. If we compare the salaries it means you can all be paid by one person here."
Dr Parirenyatwa was responding to Senators questions in the Upper House yesterday. Manicaland Senator Patrick Chitaka (MDC-T) had asked if reports that Mr Dube was earning $230 000 were true and if such salaries were sustainable.
"We have already invited them to give us information to discuss this issue. We are not only looking at salaries but we are looking at what you are contributing as an individual and what they are paying to hospitals and service providers. So we are deeply investigating to make sure that as a population, we are not compromised," said Dr Parirenyatwa.
"We will look at the law and statutes and see whether they are satisfying the various requirements that are stipulated in the law. We do not want to say ‘yes' in terms of salaries that we have not yet confirmed."
PSMAS, said Dr Parirenyatwa, was jointly managed by his ministry, and the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Finance ministries.
Mashonaland West Senator Prisca Mupfumira (Zanu-PF) wanted to know if Government would suspend the Dube-led executive pending investigations, saying chances were that evidence might be suppressed should investigations be done while they were in office.
"We know that the law of the country stipulates that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Why don't you do as what happened at ZBC where the CEO was suspended to facilitate investigations because honestly how can you carry out investigations when one is in office?" she said.
"We are urgently looking at what you have said," responded Dr Parirenyatwa.
Chiefs Council president Fortune Charumbira asked if Government was dealing with the "obscene" salary structures in parastatals and State-owned entities.
"It is like they are in a different economy (from) others," he said.
Dr Parirenyatwa responded: "I share with you your sentiments. If we compare the salaries it means you can all be paid by one person here."
Source - herald
