Healthcare workers seeking greener pastures cripple Zim
The Covid19 induced burden on healthcare systems across the globe has led to a mass exodus of healthcare workers from developing countries to first world countries like the United Kingdom (UK).
Zimbabwe has not been spared; the mass exodus of healthcare workers has led to the closure of several Harare council clinics which are run by nurses.
Rueben Akili is the projects officer with the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), “The situation on the ground in terms of opening of clinics, the situation is dire.
We have been conducting meetings where pregnant women were engaging with local nurses, but it has emerged that there is a mass exodus of nurses due to poor working conditions.
The situation is not good as many health personnel are leaving; you will see that most of the workers are overburdened.”
Tinotenda Chirwa, is a mother of an infant in Mabvuku she says the closure of clinics has affected communities, “My son was due for immunisation, but we had to go searching for another private medical health centre because our local clinic was closed.”
Political analyst, Pride Mukono says nurses are not left with much of a choice when faced with poor working conditions,
“The second option that nurses or any other worker can enjoy is what we call labour market exit, where you basically look for better options and simply leave, and this is what we are witnessing now.”
Opposition political party, Labour, Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) president, Linda Masarira says authorities should not be discouraged by the exit of healthcare workers.
“It is imperative for local clinics to start recruiting more nurses to beef up the staff at local clinics as this is detrimental to maternal healthcare service that’s being afforded to pregnant women. We have got thousands of nurses that are unemployed, and the departure of council nurses going to greener pastures is not an excuse not to recruit more nurses.”
Healthcare workers seeking greener pastures cripple Zim
