THE opposition Zapu party has vowed to go ahead with its
planned sit-in at Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH)
nursing school today in protest over unfair enrolment of student nurses.
This comes amid reports that the two institutions recently
enrolled trainees from other regions and overlooked applications from the
Matabeleland region.
Vice-President Kembo Mohadi and Bulawayo Metropolitan
Affairs minister Judith Ncube have also condemned the questionable recruitment,
saying it was against government policy.
Yesterday, the Health ministry warned activists and
politicians against “unwarranted” visits to hospitals after Zapu activists
stormed Mpilo and UBH in protest.
Activists, political actors and other stakeholders from the
region have questioned the recruitment processes of trainee nurses at Mpilo and
UBH following revelations that the majority were from outside Matabeleland.
Mpilo clinical director Solwayo Ngwenya, who also heads the
school of nursing, has been quoted saying the selection process was done in
Harare after the introduction of an online nurses’ application platform.
Zapu yesterday said it would stage a sit-in at the two
biggest referral hospitals in Bulawyao to protest against the unfair
recruitment despite warnings by the Health ministry to stay away from the
health institutions.
“When the government has to resort to propaganda to hide
their inefficiencies, it is the duty of politicians to go and find out the
truth for themselves, therefore, they lack the moral ground from barring
politicians from visiting hospitals,” Zapu southern region spokesperson Patrick
Ndlovu said.
“We don’t think it’s fair for the lessons to go ahead while
this issue is unresolved. Hospitals are not PR [public relations] venues for
the First Lady (Auxillia Mnangagwa) to prop up her dubious image.”
Zapu deputy national organising secretary Ndodana Moyo
added: “Government must just address this issue instead of threatening
political actors, activists and other stakeholders for raising concern over
this issue.
“We are going ahead with our intended programme to stop
lessons to stop this unfair recruitment. We invite all progressive people of
Matabeleland to come in their numbers and correct this anomaly. Zipra [Zimbabwe
People’s Revolutionary Army] did it, we will also do it.” Newsday
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