Lies about injured nurse exposed

Government claims of supporting an injured rural nurse have been exposed as misleading after the nurse, Progress Muzuva, produced receipts and medical records showing she has been paying her own medical bills for years.

Muzuva sustained fractures to her spine and leg in 2018 while saving a newborn baby and her mother during a violent ambulance transfer from Bikita Rural District Hospital to Silveira Mission Hospital. The ordeal, first revealed in a viral social media audio recording, saw the expectant mother lashing out violently mid-transfer. Muzuva delivered the baby inside the moving ambulance while fending off repeated attacks, at one point shielding herself from blows with a placenta in her hands to prevent the newborn from bleeding.

Despite her extraordinary courage, Muzuva says the Ministry of Health and Child Care misled the public with a press statement in August 2025, claiming she was receiving full government support. 

"The Ministry indicated that they granted me Government patient status, which could be true on paper, but in practice, I have been footing my medical bills and did not get free treatment, even at Masvingo General Hospital," she told Truth Diggers. Muzuva presented receipts showing payments as recently as August 7, 2025, contradicting official claims.

Over the years, Muzuva says she has survived on just US$93 a month, repeatedly paying for consultations, X-rays, and other medical procedures while government bureaucracy stalled the processing of her retirement package. Attempts to seek assistance from senior officials, including the Health Minister, were reportedly unsuccessful.

Despite her personal suffering, Muzuva holds no ill will toward the family of Elizabeth Dunira, the patient whose aggression caused her injury. Dunira and her family expressed regret for the incident. 

"I feel deeply sorry for what happened. I never intended to hurt the nurse," Dunira said, while her father-in-law, Augustine Gondo, added, "Every time I see my granddaughter, I am reminded of the nurse and the harm she suffered. I regret my poverty."

Muzuva declined offers of compensation, stating she acted out of duty. "I was doing national service and I was overjoyed when I successfully delivered the baby," she said. "The fact that the baby is still alive gives me joy."

The case has sparked criticism of the Ministry's handling of injured frontline workers, highlighting gaps in support for rural healthcare professionals who risk their lives in the line of duty. As Muzuva's story spreads, it raises pressing questions about accountability and the government's commitment to those who serve the nation's most vulnerable.