Harare, (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe government said on Monday it is convening an urgent meeting with representatives of nurses to discuss their grievances, urging them to call off the strike and return to work.
Nurses, who are protesting over poor salaries and working conditions, have initiated industrial action that is affecting services across public health institutions.
Speaking at a press briefing, Minister of Health and Child Care Douglas Mombeshora said the Health Services Commission and the Health Apex Council have scheduled an urgent meeting aimed at discussing the ongoing strike.
“The industrial action is disrupting services at public health institutions. The government is aware of the nurses’ concerns, and we have convened a high-level engagement with their representatives to urgently address the concerns. We recognise the importance of these concerns, and we are committed to continued engagement through appropriate channels. We want normalcy to return at health facilities that have been affected by this industrial action, hence our call for nurses to return to work as we work on addressing their concerns,” he said.
When announcing the strike, the Zimbabwe Nurses Association outlined the difficulties confronting nurses, among them staff shortages, low pay, and inadequate access to essential medical supplies.
Mombeshora said the planned meeting between the Health Apex Council and the Health Services Commission will offer a formal platform to tackle these challenges while ensuring that critical health services continue.
“These two bodies will work on a process that will lead to structured responses that will balance the delivery of critical health services with the welfare of our health workers. Nurses must allow space for constructive dialogue and orderly engagement and must take note that the Government remains committed to resolving their concerns as it has both the interests of health workers and citizens at heart,” he said.
This month, civil servants received salary adjustments as part of a new remuneration framework introduced by the government which is based on a recently completed job evaluation exercise.
Health workers also benefit from allowances and non-monetary incentives, including duty-free vehicle imports, as well as access to housing and residential stands.
New Ziana
