Nurse aide certificate rescues thousands from Zimbabwe poverty

THOUSANDS of Zimbabweans, mostly healthcare workers, are leaving Zimbabwe for the United Kingdom in search of greener pastures at a time many locals are struggling to cope with the country's relentless economic, social and political crises.

Statistics gleaned from the International Organisation for Migration Zimbabwe's Chief of Mission Report for September 2022 shows that there has been a massive increase in locals leaving the country, with the peak months being August and September.

All UK visa applicants from Zimbabwe – including children and infants – need an IOM medical certificate indicating that they are free from tuberculosis when applying for a visa to the UK for a period longer than six months. The tests are being conducted daily from Monday to Friday, except on public holidays and UN-recognized international public holidays.

The situational report, which was shared among UN agencies, Zimbabwean government and other partners, is used by policymakers to monitor migration patterns.

A government official who shared the statistics with The NewsHawks said the majority of people leaving for the UK were healthcare workers, among them doctors, nurses and care givers, including nurse aides.

"The month of September saw the total monthly caseload for the UK TB reaching the second-highest to date, at 4 399 applicants. This brings the total number of applicants seen this year to 31 552," the IOM Chief of Mission report reveals.

"This is 126.21% of the reviewed projected annual caseload of 25 000 applicants.

"We continue to see a maximum of 310 cases per day."

The situational report shows in January, a total of 1 201 Zimbabweans were screened under the programme, but the figure shot up to 3 139 in February, 3 471 in March, 3 608 in April before rising to 4 077 in May.

A total of 3 744 were screened in June while 3 418 persons were screened in July.

The highest number of persons screened was in August when 4 418 were assisted.

The report shows that so far 19 cases of active TB have been diagnosed, including a single case of mono drug-resistant TB.

The UK, which recently advertised vacancies in the health sector, is one of the countries paying nurse aides lucratively. The UK says its health system needs to fill 110 192 posts left vacant after the death of frontline health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The shortages include 39 652 nurses and 8 158 medical doctors, according to data for vacancies published by the National Health Service.

Nursing assistants in the UK earn an average of £20 000 per annum (US$26 000), which translates to about US$2 100 per month. Nurse aide certificates have become a prized possession in Zimbabwe. Desperate Zimbabweans seeking to escape the country's never-ending socio-economic crisis are flocking to various institutions that have sprouted up and are offering short-term nurse aide training.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is part of the United Nations System as the leading inter-governmental organization promoting since 1951 humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, with 174 member states and a presence in over 100 countries. IOM has had presence in Zimbabwe since 1985.