by Christopher Makaza
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has opened 650 additional posts for health workers in order to provide adequate health personnel at the quarantine and isolation centres amid escalating number of COVID-19 cases in Zimbabwe.
Writing on the Twitter handle , @MoHCCZim, the Ministry said all the 650 health workers would be deployed at quarantine and isolation centres.
“Additional 650 posts for health workers have been opened up at @MoHCCZim in order to adequately staff quarantine and isolation centres,” tweeted the Ministry yesterday.
Social analyst, Mr Terrence Chipwanya, said the opening of posts in the Ministry of Health and Child Care shows Government’s commitment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This recruitment of additional health personnel shows that Government is serious in its quest to defeat the COVID-19 disease. These health workers who are about to be recruited will increase the number of front line health personnel who are assisting in the fight against this global pandemic,” said Chipwanya.
Chipwanya further urged the Government to instil a spirit of patriotism in the health personnel as most of them are only after money and were being manipulated by foreign embassies harbouring regime change agenda.
Last week, some nurses went on strike to arm twist Government into increasing their salaries amid the scourge of COVID-19 disease. Ironically, the nurses’ strike is coming back on the heels of Government announcing, a 50 percent salary increase accompanied with USD75.00 COVID-19 allowance.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the US Embassy in Harare paid huge sums of money to the leaders of nurses for further disbursement to health personnel who works in Government hospitals so that they can abscond from work and engage in these protests.
The motive was to cripple the health sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a view to incite people to protest against government.
A message circulating on social media claimed that there was discord among representatives of the country’s health workers following the disappearance of US$20 000 availed by the United States (US) embassy for the on-going strike by health personnel.
A contact in the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) who preferred anonymity, revealed to this publication that the US Embassy released the said money to ZINA Secretary General, Enock Dongo, and Zimbabwe Health Workers Union (ZHWU) representative, Llyod Sarai to give nurses so that they will continue with the strike.
However, the duo shared the money amongst themselves, provoking the discord.
One Sekai Watungwa of the Nurse Aides Association (NAA) and Benny Nhatsai of the Zimbabwe Health Services Administration Association (ZHSAA) lambasted Dongo and Sarai for looting the US funding meant for health personnel.
Nhatsai further said that Dongo used the money he got from the US Embassy to buy a Mercedes Benz vehicle for his girlfriend who could not be named.
Sarai is also accused by the health personnel of buying expensive furniture for his house in Mabvazuva in Ruwa using the ill-gotten funds.
Some nurses have come in the open saying they were forced to strike by the leaders after promises of being given US dollars. These nurses are now feeling used as they received nothing while their leaders are living large.
