Zim govt to release bonded nurses

GOVERNMENT will soon release bonded nurses that it has failed to absorb into the system after the Finance Ministry froze recruitment last year.

There are over 2 000 nurses under Government bond but are unemployed. The bonded nurses petitioned the Health and Child Welfare Ministry demanding their certificates so that they could seek employment elsewhere.

Health and Child Welfare Minister Henry Madzorera told the House of Assembly that the temporary reprieve was due to Treasury's failure to release funds to recruit more nurses. He was responding to Mazowe Central legislator Mr Shepherd Mushonga's (MDC-T) question on Government policy on nurse training and bonding.

"As a temporary measure we have decided to release certificates of the bonded nurses so that they can seek employment elsewhere. This is temporary, we are not changing our policy but we are saying since the Ministry of Finance cannot give us money to pay these nurses then we have to release their certificates," Mr Madzorera said.

He said there was need to increase the ministry's staff complement as the current one was established in the 1980s.

Nkulumane MP, Mr Thamsanqa Mahlangu (MDC-T) asked Minister Madzorera if it was Government policy to deny birth records to mothers who fail to pay maternity fees after deliveries and the minister said the practice was illegal.