Govt to recruit 900 nurses

Freedom Mupanedemo Midlands Bureau

The Health Services Board (HSB) intends to recruit 900 nurses to fully staff referral hospitals, board chairperson, Dr Paulinus Sikosana has said.

Dr Sikosana said there were shortages of nurses and specialists in referral hospitals.

He said there were only vacancies for 646 trained general nurses.

“As you are aware, the board is on a tour of hospitals and this time we are in the Midlands. We have just toured Kwekwe General Hospital and from our observation and the briefing we got from the medical superintendent, there is need for more nurses and specialists for them to cope with the workload.

“As the board, we have since requested for an additional 900 nurses to fill in the gaps in the hospitals and we are now waiting for the Treasury response to our request,” he said.

Dr Sikosana said the hospital needed to be equipped with a fully-fledged casualty department.

“Kwekwe General Hospital is on a major road, the Bulawayo-Harare Highway. Staff often attend to major accidents and there is need for a casualty department. There is also need for a consultancy at the hospital so that we provide not just basic, but quality health delivery system,” he said.

Dr Sikosana said the board will improve conditions for health workers.

“We are aware of the current economic environment, but as the employer we are working on a raft of measures meant to incentivise the workers. We are a listening board and we value the service that our health workers do to keep the country healthy,” he said.