via Uniformed forces medical doctors deployed to public hospitals 7 November 2014 by Feluna Nleya
GOVERNMENT has deployed medical personnel from the uniformed forces to public hospitals after the strike by junior and senior doctors threatened to paralyse the health delivery system.
Health and Child Care deputy minister Paul Chimedza yesterday told journalists during his tour of Parirenyatwa Hospital that they had roped in the uniformed forces to fill in the gap.
About 400 junior doctors at all public hospitals countrywide downed tools two weeks ago demanding a salary review and a general review of their working conditions, a problem which the Ministry of Health and the Health Services Board (HSB) have failed to resolve.
“Right now the cases that really require to be seen, the emergency cases, are being handled here by the doctors who are at work,” Chimedza said.
“The doctors in the City of Harare who normally refer patients, even some not too serious, are now seen there and those who come here without referral letters are being sent back.
“We have also requested the uniformed forces to come in and assist as usual and they are available to do so.”
Chimedza added: “It’s not about managing the burden completely, it’s not just that. What we are saying is those that can be dealt with elsewhere should not come here. We are now just being stricter just like it should happen in a normal situation.”
Chimedza said the bipartite negotiations had started and they hoped something fruitful would come out of them which would make the doctors go back to work.
“We want our doctors to be back at work, but we also want to thank the doctors, nurses and all the health care workers that are holding fort.”
An official in the theatre department at Parirenyatwa Hospital described the situation as pathetic, saying most operations were being postponed to next year.
“We are concerned about the patients who cannot afford to go to private hospitals, we really wonder where they are going,” she said.
Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association president Fortune Nyamande accused government and the HSB of not taking the industrial action seriously.
“We have said if they give us the on-call allowance and the risk allowance which the minister agreed to, we will go back to work and continue negotiating with them for the other four when we are back at work, but they are taking their time.”
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