Zimbabwe Hospitals Doctors Association (ZHDA) has threatened to continue with their industrial action saying dialogue with government has not yielded any positive results.
Junior doctors, now in their second week of industrial action are demanding that government addresses the shortage of basic medication and their welfare.
“Among many doctors’ grievances, the most critical one is the shortage of medical drugs and basic medication to treat patients. Though government claims to have addressed this grievance the truth of the matter is, the $25 million worth of drugs are not available, they are still in India and the timeframe for them to reach us is unknown,” said ZHDA president Dr. Elias Muzoremba.
With the ever-rising cost of living, Muzoremba said it is logical for their salaries to be increased as well.
“The cost of living has risen and it is only logical for our salaries to be increased. We are well aware that $US are scarce and since government cannot meet us there should at least increase those salaries in local currency to an amount equivalent to American dollars,” he said.
Muzoremba added that dialogue between the two parties had not yielded much as no solid mechanisms have been put forward up to address most of their grievances.
“Though government has generally been accommodating in the dialogue process, there has not been any mechanisms crafted yet to address the situation and so we see no point in going back to work,” said Muzoremba.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health and Childcare Dr. Obadiah Moyo has urged doctors to return to work while government addresses their grievances.
