NURSES at Marondera Provincial Hospital have rapped their
employer, the Health ministry, for cancelling flexi hours on Monday without any
consultations.
Early this year, the Health Services Board and the unions
representing nurses entered into an agreement allowing underpaid health workers
across the country to work two days a week.
The arrangement was arrived at as a compromise after nurses
had downed tools due to poor salaries eroded by inflation.
In a letter dated April 20 addressed to Marondera
Provincial Hospital, Mashonaland East provincial medical director Simukai
Zizhou cancelled that arrangement.
The letter, seen by NewsDay, read: “To ensure that there is
continuity in service provision and adequate coverage, the interim arrangement
of flexible hours for all staff categories at your institution has been
cancelled indefinitely.
“Please be advised that all members of staff are supposed
to return to work and resume normal duties with immediate effect.”
Contacted for comment, Zizhou said his directive was
justified.
“Firstly, the nurses at Marondera Provincial Hospital were
not following properly the schedule of flexi hours and stay away from work on
more days than supposed to be. You actually could see one nurse in a ward with
the rest being student nurses, so we had to correct that,” he said.
“Secondly, we need to ensure adequate staff of qualified
nurses is there at hospital to help fight COVID-19 cases.
The nurses can’t continue to allege incapacitation because
as of last week, they received COVID-19 allowances which are 55% of their
salaries and we also have a bus that ferries them to work daily.”
Zimbabwe Professional Nurses Union secretary-general
Douglas Chikobvu said Zizhou had erred.
“The nurses have been shocked by the grave miscalculation
on how we can combat this global challenge which is a highly infectious
disease. The memo totally doesn’t take into consideration that the 1-2 day per
week working schedule is implemented countrywide at various institutions of
care and is also meant to reduce exposure time to healthcare staff on possible
COVID-19 cases, but someone just chooses to compromise the health of our fellow
nurses,” he said.
“Sadly, these institutions have close to nothing in terms
of personal protective clothing but Zizhou seems unaware where we are coming
from, where we are and where we are going. This decision comes when nurses are
haunted daily as they continue to discharge their duties without adequate
PPE&C [personal protective equipment and clothing].
“We totally condemn the move at all costs and clearly state
that the memo is absolutely impractical. As a nurses union, we totally register
our displeasure as administrative machinations take toll and continue to be
perpetrated against fellow nurses.” Newsday
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