Government and striking doctors will meet tomorrow to
discuss a proposed package of improved working conditions that includes
accommodation, transport and food, as authorities seek to bring normalcy to
public hospitals where patients have endured poor service delivery for over 70
days.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet briefing in Harare yesterday,
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said the Government was working
tirelessly to address the doctors’ concerns and had allocated money for the
procurement of medicines to restock hospitals.
Dr Moyo said they were reviewing conditions of service with
special focus on the provision of accommodation and transport for junior
doctors.
“Government is still committed to dialogue with the
striking doctors and a meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, 14th November,
2019,” he said.
“Government is working flat out to ensure availability of
resources in health institutions and to improve the conditions of service for
all health personnel.
“I want to assure them that we have ordered more medicines
and Government has allocated money towards restocking of medicines at public
hospitals to ensure proper health care service is provided to the people.”
Dr Moyo said the provision of institutional accommodation
was being pursued to alleviate service delivery challenges in the short and
long-term.
It was important for doctors to be accommodated at their
work stations to cut transport costs.
“Government is in the process of identifying flats to ease
accommodation challenges facing junior doctors and Zupco buses will be availed
to ferry them to and from their work stations,” said Minister Moyo.
“Food will also be provided at their work stations while
all the surgical materials will be availed in all the health institutions as
required.
“We shall continue dialoguing and make sure we talk from
the same direction. We have to talk to find solution.”
The strike by doctors over conditions of service has gone
on for more than two months and a total of 322 disciplinary cases have so far
been heard, with 286 doctors being fired for absenteeism.
The doctors insist that they are incapacitated to report
for duty and are further demanding to have salaries set in US dollars with any
payments in RTGS dollars to be done at the prevailing interbank rate.
Dr Moyo said the situation at Harare City Council clinics
remained constrained after nurses went on strike citing “incapacitation”.
Only 35 out of the 104 nurses turned up for duty at the
city’s five polyclinics.
“The nurses withdrew their labour over delayed salary
payments and are refusing to resume duty even after receiving their salaries,”
said Dr Moyo.
“The action by the nurses is illegal and the employer has
been advised to commence disciplinary processes on the striking nurses in line
with the country’s laws.
“Only those nurses reporting for duty will be paid while
their conditions of service are being looked into.”
Council is offering limited services at polyclinics in
Mabvuku, Tafara, Kuwadzana, Mufakose, Hatfield and Glen View. Herald
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