News / Health
Doctors, nurses welcome call for urgent unfreezing of Govt posts
24 Sep 2013 at 02:47hrs | Views
DOCTORS and nurses have welcomed the call by the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa, for the urgent unfreezing of Government posts and the releasing of funds budgeted for the health sector.
Dr Parirenyatwa last week met top management from the health sector comprising of provincial medical directors and hospital chief executive officers in Harare during which he expressed concern over obsolete equipment, overstretched workers and overcrowding in wards and casualty departments.
In separate interviews, representative bodies of doctors and nurses said the move by Government was long overdue as the freezing of posts compromised the country's health delivery system.
The president of the Zimbabwe Medical Association (Zima), Dr Enock Tatira, said the move by Government to unfreeze posts would go a long way in reducing the workload on the few doctors operating in public hospitals.
"The current establishment of doctors in public hospitals cannot cope with the workload. As doctors we would like to commend the Minister of Health and Child Care for his pledge in addressing that challenge through the unfreezing of posts.
Most of our members are not formally employed while some of them left the country," he said.
Zima is a non-statutory, professional association for public and private sector medical practitioners and it has 500 active members.
Dr Tatira also commended the Government for pledging to review the salaries and incentives of doctors, saying it would attract medical practitioners who left the country for greener pastures.
"We are happy the Government has also promised to improve the salaries and that in itself shows commitment on its part in addressing welfare issues of doctors," he said.
The president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina), Mrs Regina Smith, also hailed the Government for its promises.
She, however, said they would soon engage the Government on the salaries.
"We commend Government for promising to unfreeze posts and reviewing our salaries and incentives. Our salaries are below poverty datum line and most of our nurses are on the streets. We intend to engage Government and give our position on issue of salaries.
"As nurses we are looking forward to Minister Parirenyatwa delivering on his promises," she said.
Zina is the sole professional association for nurses in Zimbabwe established in 1980.
It embraces an array of nurses and midwifery sub-specialties and has more than 2 000 members.
In a recent interview, Dr Parirenyatwa told Chronicle that his ministry would urgently address the pertinent issue of low salaries and poor incentives for staff as well as attracting more specialised personnel to improve the country's health delivery system.
Dr Parirenyatwa last week met top management from the health sector comprising of provincial medical directors and hospital chief executive officers in Harare during which he expressed concern over obsolete equipment, overstretched workers and overcrowding in wards and casualty departments.
In separate interviews, representative bodies of doctors and nurses said the move by Government was long overdue as the freezing of posts compromised the country's health delivery system.
The president of the Zimbabwe Medical Association (Zima), Dr Enock Tatira, said the move by Government to unfreeze posts would go a long way in reducing the workload on the few doctors operating in public hospitals.
"The current establishment of doctors in public hospitals cannot cope with the workload. As doctors we would like to commend the Minister of Health and Child Care for his pledge in addressing that challenge through the unfreezing of posts.
Most of our members are not formally employed while some of them left the country," he said.
Zima is a non-statutory, professional association for public and private sector medical practitioners and it has 500 active members.
Dr Tatira also commended the Government for pledging to review the salaries and incentives of doctors, saying it would attract medical practitioners who left the country for greener pastures.
The president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina), Mrs Regina Smith, also hailed the Government for its promises.
She, however, said they would soon engage the Government on the salaries.
"We commend Government for promising to unfreeze posts and reviewing our salaries and incentives. Our salaries are below poverty datum line and most of our nurses are on the streets. We intend to engage Government and give our position on issue of salaries.
"As nurses we are looking forward to Minister Parirenyatwa delivering on his promises," she said.
Zina is the sole professional association for nurses in Zimbabwe established in 1980.
It embraces an array of nurses and midwifery sub-specialties and has more than 2 000 members.
In a recent interview, Dr Parirenyatwa told Chronicle that his ministry would urgently address the pertinent issue of low salaries and poor incentives for staff as well as attracting more specialised personnel to improve the country's health delivery system.
Source - Chronicle
