Online Reporter
Robin Muchetu [email protected]
MORE than 2 000 aspiring nurses have applied for training opportunities in Matabeleland South following the Government’s reopening of nursing schools, reflecting overwhelming interest in the Government’s drive to expand the country’s health workforce.
The applications were received after the Ministry of Health and Child Care invited prospective student nurses to apply for vacancies at Gwanda and Maphisa district hospitals in Matabeleland South, as well as Chimhanda Hospital in Rushinga, Mashonaland Central Province.
Government is reopening previously closed nursing schools while constructing new training institutions to increase the number of health professionals being churned out by the institutions as it works to improve quality of healthcare across the country.
Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Sleiman Kwidini revealed the figures during a visit to Plumtree District Hospital as part of the ministry’s support supervision team programme, which assesses progress at health institutions across the country.
“We have heard from the office of the Minister of State that they have received more than 2 000 applications, but we want 20 students per school at the moment as that is our capacity for now. We want to expand this nurse training to ensure that we accommodate more students,” said Deputy Minister Kwidini.
He said a rigorous selection process would be conducted to identify the first intake of 20 students per school.
“For Gwanda and Maphisa training schools, we are taking 100 percent of the students from Matabeleland South who can quickly find accommodation. As a ministry, we want to ensure that every district has a training school to cater for its people,” said Deputy Minister Kwidini.
He said future intakes would follow Government’s 75 percent local recruitment policy to ensure communities directly benefit from the training institutions established in their areas.
“We want to get students from Maphisa, train them in Maphisa and deploy them in Maphisa. Only a few will be deployed outside the province to ensure inclusivity,” he said.
Deputy Minister Kwidini and his team also toured facilities earmarked for a nursing school at Plumtree District Hospital and expressed satisfaction with the state of preparedness ahead of the planned January 2027 intake.
“We have come to see where we want to start a nursing school at Plumtree District Hospital. We have seen the infrastructure and it is ready to commence nurse training. Matabeleland South is a huge province but there are four training schools so far and this one will be the fifth if all goes according to plan for the January 2027 intake,” he said.
“We need more training schools so that we cover all our clinics with qualified staff and ensure patients do not travel more than four kilometres to access health services. The population is also growing and we need to ensure there are adequate nurses.”
Deputy Minister Kwidini said Government is identifying sites across the country for the establishment or rehabilitation of nurse training schools as part of efforts to double the country’s health workforce by 2030.
He said Bulilima and Mangwe districts are served by Plumtree District Hospital, highlighting the need for an additional hospital in Bulilima.
“I believe that one hospital must be constructed in that area,” he said.
Deputy Minister Kwidini also commended communities in Bulilima for contributing towards the construction of health facilities, noting that five clinics had already been completed.
“As the Government, we assure them that when those clinics are completed we will provide the required staff,” he said.
Matabeleland South Provincial Medical Director Dr Andrew Muza said the reopening of nursing schools would help address the long-standing shortage of health professionals in the province.
“This is an important project for us and it will help solve one of our perennial challenges of staff shortages in the region. We will recruit from the region because these are people we can retain within the system and who will provide services to local communities,” he said.
Dr Muza said the overwhelming response to the recruitment exercise demonstrated strong interest among young people in joining the nursing profession.
He added that the province intends to gradually increase training capacity to accommodate more students as facilities are expanded.
-@NyembeziMu
