Online Reporter
The Herald 20 July 1983
MORE than 200 full-time doctors are needed at Parirenyatwa Hospital to cope with the heavy workload, the Minister of Health, Dr Oliver Munyaradzi, has said.
He said in an interview that the hospital was operating mostly with private doctors and more Government doctors were required to reduce the workload.
At the moment, the minister said, there were less than 15 full- time doctors.
“We are now increasing the number of Government doctors so that we can cope with the work load there,” he said.
This would be done as soon as the ministry was allocated enough funds to recruit doctors for the hospital. The minister said that although it was true that some doctors had resigned from the hospital this did not warrant being called mass resignations.
Those who had resigned preferred to work in the private sector where pay was better. He said there were 1 300 doctors practicing in the country, but the Government “certainly” needed more. It was for this reason that the recruitment campaign for doctors both at home and abroad was continuing.
Commenting on the recently reported cases of cholera in the country, the minister said that although sporadic and isolated cases had been reported in the south-east, “I am glad to say that there is no cholera outbreak in the country at the moment”.
All provincial medical officers had been advised on the course of action to take should there be an outbreak in any part of the country, he said.
Asked what the drugs situation in the country was, Cde Munyaradzi said all essential drugs were available. “Shortages, if any, arising in the future will be dealt with as they occur.”
Lessons for today:
- Although the article was published more than 40 years ago, many of its themes remain relevant today. It highlights a shortage of doctors at Parirenyatwa Hospital, with fewer than 15 full-time Government doctors serving a major referral hospital. The minister noted that some doctors left the public sector for private practice because pay was better.-
- To prevent the loss of skilled professionals, public institutions need attractive salaries, good working conditions, and opportunities for career growth. Otherwise, the public sector risks losing talent. The minister said more doctors could be recruited once sufficient funds were allocated. He openly discussed doctor shortages, recruitment efforts, disease monitoring, and drug availability.
- Compared with 1983, Zimbabwe has many more trained doctors, medical schools, specialists, and health facilities than it had at independence. Parirenyatwa Hospital is far larger and more sophisticated than it was in the early 1980s, and the country has expanded medical training capacity over the decades
- Zimbabwe now trains more doctors locally than it did in 1983. Major referral hospitals have access to more advanced medical technologies and specialist services than were available in the early years of independence. Government has continued recruiting health professionals and investing in hospital infrastructure, including upgrades at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
- Recent reports indicate that public hospitals still face staff shortages, especially among specialist doctors. Many doctors continue to leave for better-paying opportunities in the private sector or overseas, echoing concerns raised in the 1983 article.
- In 1983, the concern was that Parirenyatwa had fewer than 15 full-time Government doctors and needed more than 200. Today, the hospital employs far more health professionals and provides services that were unimaginable then. Yet the fundamental issue identified by Dr. Oliver Munyaradzi, the competition between public hospitals and better-paying alternatives remains a major challenge.
