Zimbabwean medical professionals across the country have lamented the dire working conditions within the healthcare sector.
In their statement to mark Workers’ Day on Wednesday, 01 May, the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) said that doctors are exposed to harm in their line of duty. Reads the statement:
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) joins the rest of the world in marking International Workers Day, 2024. This year’s commemorations are focused “on ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate”.
In commemorating this day, ZADHR laments the state of our public health delivery system and the exposure of health professionals to harm in their line of duty.
For years, health workers in Zimbabwe have clamoured for a health service and health workplace that promotes and protects their rights through strengthening infection control protocols and associated provisions for infection control such as personal protective equipment.
Effective infection control protocols will not only make the workplace a safe place but will contribute to boosting the moral and mental health of health professionals, which have been dented by poor remuneration, dilapidated infrastructure, equipment and shortage of drugs and sundries.
In marking this day, ZADHR continues to urge the government to address the health and safety concerns of health professionals to prioritise the health and well-being of health professionals.
It is our firm belief that a safe working place is good for the physical and mental well-being of health professionals.
Thousands of Zimbabwean healthcare workers have left the country for countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia due to poor remuneration and working conditions resulting in shortages, particularly in public institutions.
Official statistics indicate that over 4,000 nurses and doctors have left Zimbabwe since February 2021.
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