The government has hinted at recruiting volunteers to alleviate the pressure at local COVID-19 vaccination centers as more health professionals leave for greener pastures.
Harare City Council health director, Dr Prosper Chonzi acknowledged the shortage of nurses due to financial resources crippling the council.
Touring local vaccination centres recently, Deputy minister of Health and Child Welfare John Mangwiro immediately intervened saying there were willing youths prepared to assist in the vaccination process.
“I have to make sure we resolve the crisis once and for all. We have several young people around who can volunteer to help out and make it easier for the few nurses that are here,” said Mangwiro.
At Budiriro clinic, only one nurse was serving at the vaccination point. She would screen, capture details, inject and issue the vaccination cards.
Mangwiro also warned health institutions against turning people who have received vaccines elsewhere, away.
“There is no need for any clinic or outlet or hospital to turn away anybody saying there is no first or second Sinopharm or Sinovac dose. Anyone who visits a centre for vaccination must receive either a first or second dose of the vaccines available. You cannot tell them to go away. For example, anyone coming from as far as Kariba or Mutare to Mufakose Health Centre should be vaccinated. We have plenty of vaccines and as such, let us not turn away people,” he said.
“I understand there were little bottlenecks in these clinics. One is the shortage of staff, we have put in place young people who are on holidays to do data capturing while we leave the vaccination to be done by trained staff such as nurses. We want the queues we are seeing to go away and be a thing of the past. We want people to be saved,” Mangwiro added.
