Government alive to doctors’ grievances
GOVERNMENT, through the Health Services Board, has engaged the Zimbabwe Doctors Association (ZiMA) as it seeks to find a solution to grievances of junior doctors who went on strike on Thursday last week.
It is believed that an agreement could not be reached on time since the doctors’ representative in the bipartite negotiating forum (BNF) — a platform through which doctors and Government engage —had resigned from the role of representing the doctors a day before the strike.
In an interview yesterday, HSB chairperson Dr Lovemore Mbengeranwa said they were blind-sided by last week’s strike since they had made headway with the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA) representative in the BNF, Dr Edgar Munatsi.
His resignation threw the negotiations into disarray.
“We communicated all our responses to their demands through their leadership, who also happen to sit in the BNF, and we were actually surprised to hear that they had downed tools since we had addressed some of their concerns while others were still work in progress,” said Dr Mbengeranwa.
The board, he said, had not only made available a $10 million revolving facility for procurement of vehicles for all health workers, including junior doctors, but it had also undertaken to review the salaries of doctors who were placed in wrong grades, with the correct salaries backdated to January this year.
Government has also unfrozen the recruitment of doctors, which essentially means all doctors would be naturally absorbed once they completed their studies. Dr Mbengeranwa also said issues of improvement of their working environment through provision of adequate medicines and equipment was also being worked on.
He expressed optimism that a deal might be reached soon.
“We discussed all these issues at our BNF and their leadership is aware of Government’s efforts in addressing the same,” said Dr Mbengeranwa.
He said the other issue they raised on overtime was purely administrative, which could have been resolved at institutional level, without even downing tools.
“Since the striking doctors are fresh from school, they might not know that the issues they are raising have been raised before by their previous leadership and we are already seized with those issues,” said Dr Mbengeranwa. “Some have been addressed, while others are still work in progress.”
HSB, said Dr Mbengeranwa, had decided to engage ZiMA to re-engage with the doctors, especially after the resignation of the doctors’ representative in the BNF.
ZiMA vice president Dr Emmanuel Shana confirmed that ZiMA, through its secretary-general, was meeting with the junior
doctors in Harare.
He said ZiMA did not condone strikes by any health professional and was looking forward to a permanent solution to strikes in the health sector.
“We do not want these strikes in the health sector because we do not want to lose any life,” said Dr Shana.
ZiMA secretary-general Dr Shingi Bopoto confirmed having started facilitating negotiations between the HSB and junior doctors.
“There has been some movement on both sides, with Government having promised to look into the equipment and medical supplies issues, while the HSB will also look into the doctors’ welfare,” he said.
“We believe the strike is going to end soon.” Information gathered by The Herald yesterday indicated that Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals, both in Bulawayo, were worst affected by the strike, while in Harare some doctors had reported for duty.
Unconfirmed reports also indicated that junior doctors from provincial and some district institutions had also joined in the strike.
ZHDA spokesperson Dr Mxolisi Ngwenya insisted that they will not return to work until HSB formally committed to addressing their grievances.