Those involved allegedly give preferential treatment and attention
to patients who pay staff on duty hard cash, while those who do not pay them
were neglected.
Information at hand suggests that nurses and doctors as
well as pharmacy and general staff at public hospitals and clinics were also
supplying stolen drugs, usually at cheap prices.
Nurses and doctors who spoke to NewsDay confirmed the
growing culture of cashing in on desperate patients.
“It can take you hours to be attended by a doctor, if at
all you see one and the reality is that the bulk of our citizens don’t have the
medical aid or US$40 to see a private doctor,” said a medical doctor based at
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
“To get attention quickly, you pay US$10 or so, then you
are examined and get your prescription. If you don’t pay you will wait and
perhaps only get an appointment to see a doctor six months from that day.”
In official at Parirenyatwa said he gets numerous calls
from relatives, friends and their colleagues for assistance. “They offer money
or just ask for help to expedite their treatment process,” the official said.
Sincere Shamu, from
the public relations department at Parirenyatwa Hospital confirmed receipt of
the NewsDay inquiries and promised to respond. There was, however, no response
when NewsDay made a follow up last night.
Doctors at public hospitals are said to be in the habit of
using public hospitals to further their personal business, referring the bulk
of patients to specialists where they have interests.
“Doctors use nurses to advise patients of alternative
facilities nearby and we will tell you to go for a scan and sometimes recommend
certain places and when you go there with the proof we are paid at least US$5
per patient. This happens with private doctors as well,” said a nurse at Sally
Mugabe Hospital (formerly Harare Hospital).
Responding to questions from NewsDay yesterday Zimbabwe
Professional Nurses Union president Robert Chiduku said there was no excuse for
such crooked behaviour.
“I can only attribute that to lack of honesty and
integrity. There is no justification for fraudulent activity, no matter the
situation, so it is attributable to an individual’s crookedness,” Chiduku said.
Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) leader Enock Dongo,
however, denied the allegations against his members and doctors, saying staff
and equipment shortages caused long queues and service delays at public
hospitals.
“There is a brain drain and you will find hundreds of
patients waiting to be served by two or three nurses and because there is no
equipment the nurses might be sharing one thermometer and they spend three
minutes or more per patient just for the temperature check,” Dongo said.
The Zina leader, however, added: “It is not true in the
sense that doctors and nurses are dealing with poor people, where will they
find money to pay bribes? There might be a few bad apples, but I must say that
there is something terribly wrong when these doctors and nurses who are
professionals accept US$2 as a bribe. The government must pay health workers
well so that they are not lured by US$2,
When reached for comment, the Health Services Board
chairperson Paulinus Sikhosana said: “I am a bit busy now. Can you call me
later?.” Sikosana said he was not sure when he would be free to attend to the
questions on email or text.
Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro and
permanent secretary Jasper Chimedza did not respond to questions sent to them.
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