Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Health Reporter
PUBLIC hospitals in Bulawayo yesterday operated with skeleton staff after nurses went on strike.
A handful of nurses were spotted at Mpilo Central Hospital and the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
Government has always acknowledged the importance of nurses and other health workers.
Besides ensuring they have PPE to protect them from Covid-19 when attending to patients, Government is paying them risk allowance while President Mnangagwa recently announced an income tax break for healthcare workers and health care institutions for the next six months.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has 170 000 workers while the Health Service Board has about 30 000 employees.
UBH acting chief executive officer Dr Narcisius Dzvanga could not be reached for comment while Mpilo Central Hospital acting CEO Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said:
“Our hospital continues to provide limited but lifesaving treatments.”
Government on Wednesday announced a flat non-taxable Covid-19 allowance of US$75 for civil servants and increased their salaries by 50 percent while pensioners who retired from the civil service will also get a flat non-taxable Covid-19 allowance of US$30 per month.
In a letter addressed to the Health Services Board on Thursday, Zimbabwe National Nurses Association Mr Enock Dongo said nurses were incapacitated due to low remuneration.
“The healthcare workers demand that salaries revert back to October 1, 2018 digits that were quoted in USD which is a stable currency that can store value of that salary. In that way, pensions, savings, medical aids, funeral policies will not continue to be eroded,” said Mr Dongo.
“This letter serves to inform you that health care workers as you might have witnessed, have already taken matters into their hands and have withdrawn their services. Therefore, we would like to officially communicate as the Health Apex that health workers have withdrawn with immediate effect until our demands have been met.”
The nurses said they had communicated their incapacitation on May 23 this year citing harsh macro-economic conditions characterised by hyperinflation, exchange rate volatility, three tier pricing system.
The health apex position suggested a need for a cost of living adjustment in the second quarter of 2020.
“Sadly, up to now no formal communication has been received from the employer by way of writing.
“Since that date up to now the socio-economic situation has continued to deteriorate with the inflation now reaching 785 percent year on year and exchange rate reaching over RTGS90 to US$1.”
According to nurses the bread basket for a family of six as measured by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe is now pegged at $8 500.
“The current ZWL3 000 salaries cannot sustainably take care of the families in health care under the prevailing socio-economic situation.”
Meanwhile, Government is considering coming up with a special fuel facility for frontline workers who are losing a lot of productive time in fuel queues.
Frontline workers who include but are not limited to doctors, nurses, police, the media and security services have seen their work being disrupted by the fuel shortages.
Minister Chasi said Government was considering introducing a fuel facility for those in the frontline for a while, but was still looking into the logistical side of implementing the programme. — @thamamoe
Online Reporter