News / National
Striking doctors demand audience with Mugabe
05 Nov 2014 at 01:50hrs | Views
Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) executive is compiling a detailed report highlighting their challenges set to be submitted to the President's Office as the Health ministry is down playing their requests, an official said on Tuesday.
The move comes at a time when the doctors' strike over a salary increment, among other things, entered its second week yesterday with government, according to the association, expressing arrogance over the issue.
Deputy minister of Health and Child Care Paul Chimedza declined to comment on the matter, saying efforts to resolve the impasse were currently underway.
"Unfortunately, I cannot comment on that matter because I am not handling it, there are relevant people. Minister David Parirenyatwa is supposed to issue a statement on the matter but he is not around at the moment," he said.
In a statement issued by ZDHA yesterday, the secretary-general, Farai Makoni, said both the ministry and the Health Services Board (HSB) were acting irresponsibly.
"The ZDHA notes with great concern and disappointment the casual approach and inappropriately slow response in finding solutions to the crisis. Patients continue to suffer at all major hospitals as they are turned away due to lack of staff. In light of this, ZHDA is compiling a dossier highlighting the challenges, negotiations, written assurance and proposed solutions that shall be submitted to President Robert Mugabe's office by Thursday morning," read the statement.
Doctors said they were expecting a positive outcome as the president frequently says "doctors and other healthcare workers should be well remunerated".
"The ZHDA is going to appeal to the president that an urgent solution is found in order to avert the continued suffering and loss of lives," further read the statement.
ZHDA has, over the past few weeks, engaged the health ministry and the HSB in efforts to avert the current health crisis, a consequent of the ongoing strike by doctors in most public hospitals.
The strike culminates from inaction by relevant authorities in the health sector after they were served with an ultimatum to address challenges doctors are facing, including the scrapping of on-call allowances and a salary stagnation.
The move comes at a time when the doctors' strike over a salary increment, among other things, entered its second week yesterday with government, according to the association, expressing arrogance over the issue.
Deputy minister of Health and Child Care Paul Chimedza declined to comment on the matter, saying efforts to resolve the impasse were currently underway.
"Unfortunately, I cannot comment on that matter because I am not handling it, there are relevant people. Minister David Parirenyatwa is supposed to issue a statement on the matter but he is not around at the moment," he said.
In a statement issued by ZDHA yesterday, the secretary-general, Farai Makoni, said both the ministry and the Health Services Board (HSB) were acting irresponsibly.
Doctors said they were expecting a positive outcome as the president frequently says "doctors and other healthcare workers should be well remunerated".
"The ZHDA is going to appeal to the president that an urgent solution is found in order to avert the continued suffering and loss of lives," further read the statement.
ZHDA has, over the past few weeks, engaged the health ministry and the HSB in efforts to avert the current health crisis, a consequent of the ongoing strike by doctors in most public hospitals.
The strike culminates from inaction by relevant authorities in the health sector after they were served with an ultimatum to address challenges doctors are facing, including the scrapping of on-call allowances and a salary stagnation.
Source - Zim Mail
