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Zimbabwe nurses risk being fired en masse
3 hrs ago |
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Operations at several major hospitals in Harare ground to a standstill yesterday after nurses downed tools, issuing the government a 48-hour ultimatum to urgently address deteriorating working conditions.
The abrupt strike action hit Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, where nurses stopped work citing rising transport costs and worsening economic pressures. Similar disruptions were reported at Chitungwiza Central Hospital, where staff also withdrew their labour over salary concerns.
In the Midlands province, members of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) submitted a petition detailing how salary erosion and price instability have left them struggling to meet basic needs, severely affecting their ability to perform their duties.
The strike highlights mounting frustration among Zimbabwe's health workers, who have long complained of low wages, delayed salary adjustments and escalating transport costs.
Nurses say the situation has been worsened by ongoing price shocks, which authorities partly attribute to global geopolitical tensions, including conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran. The resulting fuel price increases have pushed commuting costs beyond reach for many.
Some nurses reported walking distances of more than 8km to work due to soaring transport fares.
The grievances were formally submitted to the Health Service Commission (HSC), with workers demanding a resolution within 48 hours.
HSC secretary Christopher Pasi acknowledged the concerns, saying the government was treating the matter with urgency.
"The Health Service Commission notes with concern the issues raised by health workers regarding salaries and working conditions," he said.
Pasi added that a comprehensive job evaluation exercise had been completed and was now moving into the implementation phase, with the aim of creating a fair and transparent grading system aligned to a broader civil service salary review.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Kwidini said the government was aware of the challenges and working on solutions, although he noted that recent transport cost increases were driven by external factors.
"The crisis didn't originate here; we didn't anticipate it. However, their issue was being handled before the crisis," he said.
"The government is not sitting back and is working on modalities on how to solve their issue. We are aware that their employer, the HSC, is working on their plight."
Nurses, however, argue that longstanding issues remain unresolved. They cited low basic salaries below the cost of living, exclusion from cost-of-living adjustments, unexplained salary deductions, lack of payslips since April last year and delays in implementing a new grading system.
They also called for flexible working hours and fewer working days to ease the burden of high transport costs.
Zina president Enock Dongo described the situation as untenable.
"Nurses are the first port of call for all clients visiting hospitals," he said. "Yet they are blamed for systemic resource shortages, while officials seem focused on workshops and lining pockets instead of delivering services."
Dongo urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and address the broader challenges affecting Zimbabwe's health delivery system.
As the 48-hour deadline ticks down, patients across the country remain at risk of further disruption, with the standoff exposing deep cracks in Zimbabwe's already strained public healthcare system.
The abrupt strike action hit Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, where nurses stopped work citing rising transport costs and worsening economic pressures. Similar disruptions were reported at Chitungwiza Central Hospital, where staff also withdrew their labour over salary concerns.
In the Midlands province, members of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) submitted a petition detailing how salary erosion and price instability have left them struggling to meet basic needs, severely affecting their ability to perform their duties.
The strike highlights mounting frustration among Zimbabwe's health workers, who have long complained of low wages, delayed salary adjustments and escalating transport costs.
Nurses say the situation has been worsened by ongoing price shocks, which authorities partly attribute to global geopolitical tensions, including conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran. The resulting fuel price increases have pushed commuting costs beyond reach for many.
Some nurses reported walking distances of more than 8km to work due to soaring transport fares.
The grievances were formally submitted to the Health Service Commission (HSC), with workers demanding a resolution within 48 hours.
HSC secretary Christopher Pasi acknowledged the concerns, saying the government was treating the matter with urgency.
"The Health Service Commission notes with concern the issues raised by health workers regarding salaries and working conditions," he said.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Kwidini said the government was aware of the challenges and working on solutions, although he noted that recent transport cost increases were driven by external factors.
"The crisis didn't originate here; we didn't anticipate it. However, their issue was being handled before the crisis," he said.
"The government is not sitting back and is working on modalities on how to solve their issue. We are aware that their employer, the HSC, is working on their plight."
Nurses, however, argue that longstanding issues remain unresolved. They cited low basic salaries below the cost of living, exclusion from cost-of-living adjustments, unexplained salary deductions, lack of payslips since April last year and delays in implementing a new grading system.
They also called for flexible working hours and fewer working days to ease the burden of high transport costs.
Zina president Enock Dongo described the situation as untenable.
"Nurses are the first port of call for all clients visiting hospitals," he said. "Yet they are blamed for systemic resource shortages, while officials seem focused on workshops and lining pockets instead of delivering services."
Dongo urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and address the broader challenges affecting Zimbabwe's health delivery system.
As the 48-hour deadline ticks down, patients across the country remain at risk of further disruption, with the standoff exposing deep cracks in Zimbabwe's already strained public healthcare system.
Source - newsday
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