Nurses fall prey to fraudsters

SCORES of nurses in and around Harare have lost their hard earned cash in the past weeks to fake employment agents after being promised lucrative salaries and other benefits. The con artists approach health institutions requesting names and contacts of all their former students who are unemployed. For quick processing of their paperwork, the fraudsters also ask the prospective nurses to deposit a fee of between $150 and $300.

SCORES of nurses in and around Harare have lost their hard earned cash in the past weeks to fake employment agents after being promised lucrative salaries and other benefits, The Herald has learned.

The con artists approach health institutions requesting names and contacts of all their former students who are unemployed before offering them lucrative offers.

For quick processing of their paperwork, the fraudsters also ask the prospective nurses to deposit a fee of between $150 and $300 to an EcoCash account number 0775429995 registered in the name of Japhet Nhekairo.

One of the nurses who fell prey to the fake agents said she received a call from a person posing as Dr Nhekairo sometime last week purporting to be recruiting nurses for Karanda Mission Hospital.

“He said the hospital was offering a starting salary of $1 400, transport allowance of $300, a three bedroomed house, among other benefits,” said the nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said they submitted their personal details hoping to get the job opportunity.

“But he later called saying there were interviews set to be conducted and for us to skip that process we should pay $300 into his EcoCash account number 0775 429 995.

“We were 13 of us and some made their payments to the account.”

The nurse said upon follow up on additional details pertaining assumption of duty, Dr Nhekairo was nowhere to be found.

Contacted for comment, Karanda Mission Hospital said it does not recruit nurses outside the structures of the Health Services Board.

It also denied any relationship with Dr Nhekairo.

“Karanda Hospital does not recruit health workers independent of HSB,” said the hospital in a statement.

“We do not have a doctor that has been tasked to recruit nurses on behalf of Karanda Hospital and we do not have a doctor by that name (Dr Nhekairo).”

The HSB warned prospective nurses to be wary of fake recruitment agents on the prawl, saying it was the sole recruitment agency in the public health sector.

“It has come to the attention of the Board and the Ministry that there are people who are masquerading as recruitment agents for health workers,” the HSB said.

“We would, therefore, like to advise the public that the Board and the Ministry remain the sole recruiting authorities for public health workers at no fee.

“Prospective health workers should, therefore, not pay to be employed in the public health sector.”