Herald Reporter
Harare City Council has re-opened three of the nine clinics in the capital, a culmination of the Government’s undertaking last year to pay municipal health workers in Harare and Chitungwiza after the two local authorities had failed to meet the workers’ salary obligations.
The three facilities are Avondale, Glen Norah and Highlands satellite clinics with the local authority saying the remaining six will be opened once it gets more locum nurses.
Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme confirmed the resumption of operations at the health facilities.
“Mabvuku Polyclinic has also started offering Caesarean services. Council intends to roll out the service to three more centres.”
Last year, Cabinet intervened and averted a potential disaster undertaking to pay municipal health workers in Harare and Chitungwiza after the two local authorities had failed to remunerate workers.
Health Services Board (HSB) chair Dr Paulinas Sikosana said the Treasury was now paying nurses employed by Chitungwiza and was making modalities to recruit those employed by Harare.
“Rural district council nurses have always been under the Government payroll and the decision was made to take over urban local authorities.
“The first one has been Chitungwiza and next process is to absorb those from Harare City,” said Dr Sikosana.
“It is not yet complete because there is data that is required on the exact number of nurses they were employing so that it is possible to estimate the financial implications.”



