Zimbabwean doctors are vowing to continue their 51-day
strike despite a 100 percent raise in allowances offered by President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s government.
The doctors say the offer resulted in an increase of their
on-call allowances from 1,200 Zimbabwe dollars to 2,400 Zimbabwe dollars each
per month, an amount they say is insignificant, taking into account the high
cost of living in the country.
According to Dr. Tawanda Zvakada, acting secretary general
of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association, an umbrella body of the striking
doctors, they want the government to increase their salaries and on-call
allowances using the current intermarket bank rates of one United States dollar
to 14 RTGS Zimbabwe dollars.
“Our salaries have been eroded by 1,500 percent and the
government went on to give us a 100 percent on our allowances, for us (it) is
the on-call allowance, which we have been demanding for it to be pegged at the
prevailing interbank rate. So, what they have since done is to double it from
the current 1,200 RTGS to 2,400 RTGS whereas we wanted it to be multiplied by
15, they have multiplied it by two. So, this brings a total package of less
than 180 United States dollars per month.
“We are not accepting this offer. It seems today is our day
number 51 since doctors declared incapacitation nationwide. So, we are going to
be incapacitated like before until the government comes to its senses and comes
with a meaningful offer that’s when we can start negotiations.”
He says if the doctors were paid using the bank rates, the
government would have increased their on-call allowances to 16,800 RTGS
Zimbabwe dollars instead of 2,400 RTGS Zimbabwe dollars per month.
“Our demands remain the same. We want a long-lasting
solution to this perennial industrial action. An offer that we consider
meaningful is to have our on-call allowance being reviewed at the current
interbank rate for that month. So this will take the figures, say today’s
interbank rate is at 14, we would have our on-call allowance at 16,800 RTGS
from the current 2,400. We expect it to be 16,800 RTGS. We have a huge gap here
that needs to be subsidized.”
Dr. Zvakada says the doctors won’t go back to work until
they receive decent salaries and on-call allowances.
“We don’t know how it’s going to end, to be honest we don’t
draw any pleasure from it going on to 100 days or to infinity or whatsoever.
But what we have right now is that doctors are incapacitated and remain
incapacitated until government comes with a meaningful offer. So, as it stands
we don’t know how it’s going to end but what we know right now is that we are
in a stalemate position.”
He says indications are that a large number of patients are
not receiving primary medical care in state hospitals due to the doctors’
strike.
“We as doctors we don’t draw any pleasure from that. For
all you may know all those patients are one of us, they are our relatives but
is so unfortunate that the government has put us in such a corner and this is
wholly to blame on the government for its negligence on the health sector … We
remain open for meaningful and serious negotiations. So, it’s up to the
government and for us the ZHDA we remain open for dialogue.”
The junior doctors downed their tools September 3 and were
joined two weeks ago by middle and senior doctors working in state hospitals.
VOA
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