Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE Government is working on improving accommodation for health workers across the country as part of efforts to attract and retain staff in rural health facilities and improve service delivery.
Speaking during a recent tour of health facilities in Matabeleland South by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora, provincial health officials said the lack of accommodation was one of the major reasons why some specialists were reluctant to work in the province.
Medical superintendent at Gwanda Provincial Hospital, Dr Shadreck Goro, said some specialists who work at the hospital commute daily from Bulawayo due to the absence of suitable accommodation at the facility.
He said the situation affects their availability, particularly during weekends and emergencies.
Responding to the concerns, Dr Mombeshora said improving staff accommodation was a key Government priority as it plays a critical role in retaining health personnel.
He also expressed concern over high vacancy rates in health institutions across the country, saying they continue to hamper progress in the health sector.
“Our target is to double our health workforce by 2030. We want to train more registered general nurses so that they can take up posts, especially in rural health facilities. This will not be possible if we do not provide adequate accommodation,” said Dr Mombeshora.
“We can train them, but they will refuse deployment if there is nowhere for them to stay. Our target is to identify land where we can construct institutional accommodation and make use of high-rise buildings where possible.”
The minister said decent accommodation that can accommodate health workers and their families would significantly improve staff retention.
The Government has also launched a major nurse training expansion programme aimed at increasing the number of health professionals and addressing persistent staff shortages, particularly in rural and previously under-served areas.
The initiative forms part of the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s broader plan to double the country’s health workforce by 2030 in response to growing demand for healthcare services. Authorities aim to create at least 32 000 additional public health jobs by 2030 while reducing workforce attrition by 50 percent through targeted interventions.
Dr Mombeshora said Zimbabwe cannot meet its healthcare delivery targets without significantly increasing the number of nurses and other frontline health professionals being trained each year.
“Our patient-to-medical staff ratio is not ideal because the population has been increasing over the years. As we seek to double our health workforce, we need to train more health personnel, which is why we are opening new nurse training schools and reviving old ones,” he said.
“We are also expanding accommodation and classroom facilities to allow us to train more personnel and ensure they have places to stay once deployed.”
Dr Mombeshora said the demand for accommodation has also increased as some health professionals trained outside the country return home for deployment.
Under the Second Republic, the Government has prioritised investment in health infrastructure, human resources and medical supplies as part of efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
Through the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and the devolution agenda, the Government has been upgrading rural health facilities, improving the availability of medicines and modernising equipment to ensure improved healthcare access for all communities. — @DubeMatutu
