RIOT police on Wednesday reportedly stormed Bindura General Hospital and indiscriminately beat up nurses for joining a nationwide strike by health workers protesting over salaries and poor working conditions.
This came as public hospitals yesterday discharged patients
and closed wards as the strike entered day four with no solution in sight.
And there were also strong indications that schools might
be forced to close early after a sizeable chunk of teachers downed tools
starting Monday demanding improved workingconditions.
On Wednesday, there was drama at Bindura General Hospital
when baton-wielding riot police officers stormed the health institution and
indiscriminately beat up nurses for downing tools.
A video in possession of NewsDay showed nurses running and
scurrying for cover as riot police officers chased and beat them up.
Some of the nurses had to remove their uniforms to escape
the wrath of the police. Elderly nurses could also be seen trying to run away
with limited success.
But national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner
Paul Nyathi said he was unaware of the incident.
Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo condemned
the police action as barbaric and deplorable.
“The hospital is deserted; nurses have stayed at home
because they fear being beaten. The fear has triggered nurses to boycott their
workstation,” he said.
“The overzealousness of the police has worsened the
situation because other nurses from other hospitals might also stay at home
fearing to be beaten up by the police.”
At Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Chitungwiza Central
Hospital, patients were discharged from wards in a total shutdown of health
services.
In other cities, NewsDay witnessed people taking away their
relatives from wards because no one was attending to them.
Health Apex leader Tapiwanashe Kusotera told NewsDay that
most provincial hospitals were deserted.
“We hope that the government takes this as an urgent
matter,” Kusotera said.
“We take job action as the last resort. As we speak, some
hospitals have shut down. The situation is not looking good, and we implore
authorities to take this seriously. Government has not offered us anything as
of today but we keep demanding that the issues we are raising must be
addressed.”
Health Service Board executive director Angelbert Mbengwa
said the board was still making consultations towards finding a win-win
situation.
“At the moment, I can’t really comment on the government’s
position on the issue. Once there is a concrete position on what we are going
to do, we will notify the public,” Mbengwa said.
Contacted for comment, Public Service Commission secretary
Jonathan Wutawunashe said he was in a meeting.
But Community Working Group on Health executive director
Itai Rusike warned of loss of lives if government dragged its feet in
addressing the concerns of health workers.
“The current impasse between the striking health workers
and government over demands for improved working conditions, tools of trade and
better remuneration has taken too long to address resulting in the untold
suffering to the general public and now causing unnecessary preventable and
avoidable deaths,” he said.
“We want to encourage genuine dialogue and long-lasting
solutions to the current stalemate instead of intimidation or firing. Both
parties should bear in mind that more than 90% of the Zimbabwean population
depends on the public health delivery system.”
Civil servants last week rejected a 100% salary hike
insisting on United States dollar salaries.
Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions
(ZCPSTU) secretary-general David Dzatunga said: “The economy has already
dollarised. Traders and even government institutions are charging in foreign
currency when the government workers are earning in local currency. It won’t
work.”
Teachers’ representatives said 55% of their members were
not reporting for duty, and accused government of trivialising workers’
grievances.
“Government is using double standards in addressing the
teachers’ concerns,” Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president
Takavafira Zhou said.
“It is very unfortunate that the government has found trade
unions who are doing firefighting and distracting the teachers’ efforts in
fighting for restoration of the US$540 salaries. The problem is getting out of
hand and I don’t see schools remaining open till the end of the term.”
But the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) said its
member were reporting for duty.
“We have not taken a position yet. We are negotiating for a
salary review under the ZCPSTU and we are set to have a meeting this week,”
Zimta secretary-general Goodwill Taderera said.
“The outcome of that meeting will determine how we are
going to deal with the issue.”
There is also simmering discontent in the private sector as
workers demand United States dollar salaries in the face of a devaluing local
currency due to skyrocketing inflation. Newsday
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