No bonding, no clearance for nurses

Nurses who intend leaving the country to pursue their careers elsewhere should satisfy all statutory requirements, including bonding, the Nurses and Midwives' Council of Zimbabwe has said.

The call comes in the wake of the council having been inundated with clearance requests from nurses who intend to leave the country.

Some of the requests, however, do not meet all requirements, especially in relation to the three-year bonding requirement.

Aggrieved nurses have gone further to petition the Government as they seek to circumvent the legal requirements. The Government referred cases back to the professional regulatory body.

Nurses and Midwives' Council of Zimbabwe chairperson, Dr Tendai Gunduza, said part of the requirements was a receipt of a certificate of good standing.

"The nurses are trained for three years and they do not pay school fees; rather during their training they are paid by the Treasury for the duration of their course.

"Regulations are that they should be bonded for the same number of years they were trained and everyone has to meet this obligation," said Dr Gunduza.

"It is like giving back to the community and again you should understand that during this bonding period they will be fully employed earning a salary for the service they are rendering.

"They know the regulations and it is important that everyone abides by the prescribed principles of their respective profession," she said.

Zimbabwe trains its nurses for free and while they are on training, they will be paid by the Treasury every month.

Dr Gunduza said a certificate of good standing which talks about integrity and professional conduct is given to professionals with no pending disciplinary issues.

She said it involves how the said professional relates not only to colleagues, but to patients they care for each day.

"We do not want people who go out there and put our name into disrepute, hence we work with the Ministry of Health and Child Care in issuing the certificates. After we are confident, we will release a blameless professional," said Dr Gunduza.

There are concerns some nurses were trying to circumvent the process using criminal means to get their certificates and quickly get employment abroad. Dr Gunduza warned those acquiring the certificates fraudulently of the consequences that await them.

"We want a situation where professionals act as such and follow the rules and regulations of the profession. It is sad that some have even gone abroad and forged documents, putting the name of Zimbabwe's Health Council into disrepute," she added.

Zimbabwean trained health professionals are in huge demand across the globe and are dotted across Europe, the United States of and other countries.

In an earlier interview, a leading public health researcher from the Health Ministry, Dr Pisirai Ndarukwa, gave the details on the training of health workers.

"We need things like accessories, allowances for lecturers, materials and other resources. We lost around 40 percent of the trained personnel that's inclusive of doctors and nurses. This includes specialist personnel," said Dr Ndarukwa.

Zimbabwe has a reported shortage of personnel in hospitals hence the need to emphasise on respects of bonding measures.