Zimbabweans health workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered, are reportedly celebrating in anticipation of the US$650 compensation promised by the government.
Before the government announced that all its workers who contracted COVID-19 whilst executing their duties will be rewarded, workers were reluctant to go to work without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).
However, following the announcement, some workers’ representatives and workers themselves were very comfortable to go and face the situation in anticipation of getting mild COVID-19 symptoms so that they will be rewarded for their bravery and illness.
A nurse based at a clinic in Gokwe North, Midlands Province said she wanted to contract COVID-19 so that she could raise funds to pay for her child who is enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the nurse said:
I want to pay fees for my UZ child, so I want to contract COVID-19 so that I can get some money and pay fees for my child on one go.
As fate would have it, the nurse contracted COVID-19 but did not exhibit any serious symptoms and has since fully recovered.
As a result, health workers have been scrambling to get tested in the hope that they will return positive results in order to get the US$650.
Nurses, like the rest of the civil service, are currently earning a fraction of what they used to take home before October 2018 when the government converted their USD salaries to RTGS dollars.