By Paidashe Mandivengerei
Government has dismissed 13 more public hospital doctors from work, increasing the number to 448 fired medical professionals from the previously announced 435.
Speaking at a post cabinet briefing today (Tuesday), Information minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said to date 448 doctors had been fired by government following disciplinary hearings.
Doctors who are up in arms with the Health Service Board are demanding a review of their salaries, better working conditions and have been on strike for over three months.
Meanwhile members of the Senior Hospital Doctors Association (SHDA) have withdrawn their service from hospitals.
In a letter to Parirenyatwa Clinical Director,
Maunganidze, SHDA said they will offer no health service until their junior counterparts are reinstated and concerns satisfactorily addressed.
“We the SHDA met with our members on the 25th of November 2019 and we deliberated on the myriad of challenges currently befalling the medical fraternity.
“We have noted with grave concern the wanton dismissal of over 435 doctors,the continued
summoning of doctors for disciplinary hearing and the withholding of the paltry salaries for the doctors. The SHDA had continued to engage the employer in dialogue whilst the hostilities on its membership was continuing unabated.
“Of note is these doctors have not capacitated either the hospitals themselves or the human resource base.
“We regret to inform you that, the SHDA has agreed with its members who had remained behind offering emergency services to hospitals: that we are no longer able to offer any emergency services as from the 26th off November 2019,1400 hours;until all the
fired doctors are reinstated and there is adequate redressal of their incapacitation.
“Members also took note of the continued poor
outcomes on the patients being attended to.
“Due to the above we will no longer be able to offer any services until the matters that we have raised are urgently addressed,” reads part of the letter.