Zimbabwe faces critical health worker shortage: Government and WHO collaborate to strengthen healthcare system

ZIMBABWE is facing a severe shortage of health workers, with a deficit of at least 57 000 professionals, significantly impacting the healthcare system, an official has said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that the country has been experiencing a brain drain of health professionals since the late 1990s, resulting in a crippling effect on the public health system.

To address this crisis, the Government and organisations like the WHO are working together to strengthen the health system and improve working conditions for health workers.

Addressing health personnel during the 5S Kaizen TQM Awareness campaign at Gweru Provincial Hospital, Health Services Commission deputy chairperson Dr Rugare Abigail Kangwende, said according to the health labour market analysis done in 2021 and 2022, the available health workforce is only 47,5 percent, which is less than half of what the country requires.

The 5S Kaizen TQM initiative improves the hospital environment while motivating staff.

“There is a shortage of at least 57 000 health workers in Zimbabwe to get to where we want if we are to meet Vision 2030 goals,” she said.

Dr Kangwende stated that Zimbabwe needs to at least double the number of health workers as soon as possible and certainly by 2030 if the country is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

“To do that, we need to increase the number of health workers being trained at our health institutions, the nursing schools and the multi-disciplinary schools.

“Production is at about 3 400 a year, and we have 5 000 vacant posts even with that production. Projections and calculations mean we need to increase that production to at least 7 000 a year as soon as possible to achieve our Vision 2030,” she said.

The HSC, she said, has committed to creating at least 32 000 posts by 2030, a mammoth task, which she said has to be done.

Dr Kangwende said the HSC has committed to reducing the attrition of health workers by at least 50 percent by 2030 so that they stop looking for greener pastures outside the country.

“This would be achieved by offering better salaries to close the gap between the offered salaries and the salaries that health workers stated in the study. HSC and the Government are committed to closing that gap because we know that health workers have a choice, they can go if they are offered salaries elsewhere and if we do not pull our socks up we will lose them,” she said.

HSC is also conducting a job evaluation exercise, which will, among other things, ensure that health workers’ jobs are graded correctly according to the work that they do and then remunerate accordingly.

She said as Zimbabwe is moving towards achieving Vision 2030 targets, the health sector has an obligation to offer health services that are at an upper-middle-income society economic level.

“That is where the country is moving and our health system has to be at that level,” Dr Kangwende said.

She applauded the 5S Kaizen Total Quality Management system, which has seen an improvement in services offered by GPH.

“Since the introduction of the 5S Kaizen TQM in 2015 here at GPH, the clients and staff have reported desirable changes like reduced patient waiting time, availability of drugs, diagnostic tests and blood, improved staff attitude, communication, staff morale, reduced cost and improved revenue collection,” she said.

GPH medical superintendent Dr Fabian Mashingaidze, said the 5S Kaizen philosophy works to improve the work environment and helps improve the processes of services that they give so that the quality of services is good and safe.

“It is the basis for organisational management and helps to improve a lot of things like teamwork, staff morale, motivation and other benefits derived from implementing the concept,” he said.

Dr Mashingaidze said they were in the process of constructing a double-storey building that will provide wards, theatre and Intensive Care Unit space.

“We had aimed to have completed it by now, but there have been delays in the disbursement of the funds to construct the building.

“We hope we will be able to implement and complete the building in the next financial year,” he said.