Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has said the government plans to enact a law criminalising the recruitment of health personnel from Zimbabwe by other countries.
Chiwenga, who also doubles as the Minister of Health and Childcare, said the drain of healthcare professionals was as good as human trafficking.
Speaking on Wednesday, Chiwenga said stiffer penalties will be imposed on those he accused of committing a “heinous crime” of recruiting nurses and doctors from Zimbabwe. BBC quoted Chiwenga as saying:
If one deliberately recruits and makes the country suffer, that’s a crime against humanity.
People are dying in hospitals because there are no nurses and doctors. That must be taken seriously.
Zimbabwe frowns at this heinous crime which is also a grave violation of human rights.
Reports indicate that more than 4 000 nurses and doctors have left Zimbabwe since February 2021.
Last month, the UK stopped the recruitment of Zimbabwean health workers. This was after Zimbabwe was placed by the World Health Organisation on the red list.
WHO red list designation means that the country is facing serious health personnel challenges.
Zimbabwean nurses and doctors are being forced to look for jobs abroad as recurrent economic challenges have seen wages decimated by endless inflation.
More: Pindula News