Zimbabwe hospital rocked by kickback scandal involving nurses and doctors

New details have emerged in a kickback scandal at Masvingo Provincial Hospital (MPH), where sources allege that nurses are receiving US$5 for every patient they refer to private clinics for services that are, in many cases, available at the hospital itself.

According to multiple sources, the practice has been ongoing for months. Nurses are reportedly working in cahoots with private clinic owners and labs to exploit patients for financial gain. "Some clinics and labs pay US$5 per referral. This is the new norm and the practice happens across Zimbabwe and cannot be stopped easily as nurses are benefiting from it. So what happens is, the charges you get when you want to do the test is not the normal charge as the private clinic or lab add an extra US$5 to cater for the nurses. What the nurse does is to simply record the name of the patient and would go anytime to collect his or her ready cash," one source disclosed.

The scandal has ignited widespread outrage among the public, with many demanding accountability and transparency. The Ministry of Health and Child Care has already directed hospital authorities to launch internal investigations into the matter.

Further revelations indicate that the scandal extends beyond nurses alone. Sources claim that a coordinated scheme involving MPH doctors and nurses is also at play. Under this arrangement, doctors with private surgeries allegedly admit patients "off the record" at MPH without entering them into the hospital database. This covert practice allows patients to benefit from hospital facilities without incurring any charges, thereby bypassing standard billing procedures.

"There is a scheme involving doctors where if a patient needs to be admitted, they will use the hospital facilities. The scheme involves nurses on duty who would see the patients and when the doctors do rounds, they prioritize their patients. The scheme is well knotted and it involves the accounting department and the patients brought through the scheme will then be discharged without paying and it's difficult to trace since there will be no record of them ever being admitted there," a source revealed.

In this arrangement, nurses reportedly bring their own patients to these doctors, ensuring they get paid for the services provided while the hospital loses significant revenue. The problem appears to be systemic, with reports suggesting that similar referral practices are also occurring at district hospitals such as Ndanga, Msiso, Silveira, Chibi, Gutu, Mwenezi, and Chiredzi. "Go to any private laboratory here in town and sit there observing, there are lots of referrals from hospitals like Ndanga, Msiso, Silveira, Chibi, Gutu, Mwenezi and Chiredzi District Hospitals. You would see blood samples being delivered by a Probox and other pirate vehicles," a source added.

Masvingo Provincial Medical Director Dr. Amadeus Shamhu confirmed that internal investigations are underway. "No investigation team has been sent yet, however there are internal investigations being done currently. The hospital has since placed notices around the institution to warn people against such and to report anything suspicious," he said. Dr. Shamhu further revealed that the hospital is considering the introduction of a system to ensure that patients are referred externally only when the needed service is not available in-house. "We are trying to find ways to combat the practice and we will make sure that there is a mechanism in place to make sure that all tests, scans or any other service that are referred outside are not being done within the hospital," he added.

At a press discussion organized by TellZim News at Chevron Hotel on March 5, Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Dr. Addmore Pazvakavambwa confirmed that higher offices have received reports on the matter. "We received those allegations at a very high level, so we are putting measures in place but I cannot divulge them here. We want to make sure that we have proved beyond doubt, that what is being alleged is true, however, we cannot ignore when the citizenry has said something so investigations will be carried out," Dr. Pazvakavambwa stated.

In addition to tackling the corruption issues, Masvingo Provincial Health Services Administrator Samson Nyoni noted that plans are underway to upgrade the hospital's power backup system. "There are plans to install a more powerful backup at MPH as the one being used can only be used for lighting," he said, highlighting the ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency at the institution.

As the investigations progress, authorities are expected to implement stricter measures to curtail the kickback scheme and restore the integrity of services at Masvingo Provincial Hospital. With the scandal now in the spotlight, both the public and government officials are calling for robust action to ensure that such practices are rooted out and accountability is enforced across all levels of the healthcare system.