The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) president Enoch Dongo has implored the government to exempt pregnant nurses from working as COVID-19 frontline workers following increased deaths of expecting nurses at health institutions.
Dongo said expecting mothers should not be front liners and should be exempted from duty at toxic places like hospitals. He said:
When one is pregnant, their system is somehow compromised and the worst part is they are working without enough personal protective equipment, which is putting their lives and the baby’s life at risk.
His call came amid reports that eight pregnant nurses at the United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH) succumbed to COVID-19 on Monday.
Last week, more than 100 pregnant women were quarantined in Matabeleland North after they tested positive for COVID-19.