Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
MPILO Central Hospital in Bulawayo will today fully open its outpatient department that had been partially closed after junior doctors went on a prolonged strike.
The department serves patients who need medical treatment but do not require admission.
The hospital’s clinical director, Dr Solwayo Ngwenya, confirmed yesterday that the biggest referral hospital in the southern part of the country covering Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South, Midlands and Masvingo provinces will be operating fully from today.
“Yes, we are opening the outpatient department tomorrow. Remember it was operating on partial basis due to manpower shortages. However, we are not saying that people should just flood the hospital today as we open it. They should gradually come to the hospital as we are committed to providing them with adequate health care. Only five out of 51 junior doctors are yet to report for duty and we hope they will return very soon,” said Dr Ngwenya.
Last week, he revealed that 13 from the 51 doctors were yet to report for duty.
The return to full operation was confirmed in an internal memo to staff, seen by Chronicle yesterday.
“This is to inform you that due to the end of the industrial action by junior doctors, we will be offering full services in the outpatient department from Wednesday 8th of January 2020. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated,” read the internal memo.
The junior doctors’ strike had gone for close to three months, crippling operations in public hospitals with patients pleading for their return to duty.
The Health Service Board had fired the junior doctors for misconduct after the courts declared their strike illegal.
The standoff between the junior doctors and their employer saw Catholic bishops convening a meeting with President Mnangagwa in trying to resolve the matter.
However, the junior doctors who wanted their salaries pegged against the United States dollar, which Government said cannot afford, remained defiant even after President Mnangagwa issued a 48-hour moratorium for them to report for duty within 48 hours without being questioned.
Most of the doctors only retuned for work after signing up to the Higher Life Foundation (HLF) $100 million fellowship programme to incentivise practitioners in the health sector for between six and 12 months. — @nqotshili
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