By Tendai Matunhu
Doctors have been urged to act professionally by performing their duties while they negotiate their pleas with Government.
Whilst addressing the media yesterday after touring Central Hospitals in Harare, Minister of Health and Child Care Doctor Obadiah Moyo said, “We are all professional let’s act professionally as professionals. Let us not be influenced by people from other spheres. It is us who control our own medical sphere rather than politicians. Let us remain professional.
“Cry while you are at work, abandoning means that you are not caring for those you trained to look after. You spend 5, 6, 7years training and then you abandon the training. We will continue to train it’s a learning curve we all have to learn, but at the end of the day we must look after our patients,” he said.
Minister Moyo went on to appreciate the efforts being made by some Doctors who are reporting for duty as Chitungwiza hospital has requested the services of consultancies.
“I am very grateful to the staff that is present, grateful just for their presence at their work stations. In as far as work load is concerned I realised that Chitungwiza Hospital got consultancies who are working in theatres carrying out procedures.
“It appears the general tendency and culture is that staff will always be at work and negotiate while they are at work. That is a principle we want to instil in our personnel in our doctors that be at work and we are able to discuss while you work rather than running away, leaving your patients, respect your patients,” he said.
Minister Moyo also said Government realised they have a condition to meet and those are conditions of service. Government wants the conditions of service of our workers to improve rather than go down and wants facilities and conditions to improve. We want to be able to fully equip our hospitals and make sure that there is adequate stocks of medicals for doctors and nurses to be able to deliver.
Whilst meeting the Rural Development Committee (RDCs) yesterday President Emmerson Mnangagwa also urged the Doctors to return to work and negotiate with Government whilst at work because people’s health and lives is more important.
