The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka and Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporters
JUNIOR and middle level doctors who have been on strike for more than a month paralysing operations at all major hospitals in the country, yesterday agreed to end the industrial action after the Government acceded to their demands to review their allowances and provide critical resources at the health centres.
Nurses are, however, pressing on with their job action plans despite the Government having also reviewed their allowances.
The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) yesterday said doctors around the country would now resume normal duties with immediate effect.
ZHDA spokesperson Dr Mxolisi Ngwenya told Sunday News that an allowance to report for duty would be given to those that had travelled for the Easter holidays.
“We have agreed on an upward review of our allowances and doctors will resume normal duties with immediate effect.
“Allowance however, has to be given to those that have travelled for the holidays. Normal service in most hospital is likely to resume on Monday,” he said.
Dr Ngwenya said they expect their employer to continue reviewing the allowances to match regional and international standards.
“This is a start but we are saying there should be continuous review until we match regional and international standards.
“Review should be an ongoing process and we are going back to work because we shouldn’t hold the nation to ransom,” he said.
Sunday News is in possession of a copy of the collective bargaining agreement between the doctors and their employer which indicates the reviews are effective today.
According to the agreement, On-Call allowance rates for junior doctors has been reviewed, from $5 per hour on the basis of a capped 72 hours working hours per month to $7,50 per hour on the basis of a maximum 106 working hours per month.
The On-Call allowances will be paid on an unclaimable rate of $1 200 per month.
On-Call allowance sliding scale rate has also been reviewed from $216-$504 per month to $720-$1 680 per month.
Night duty allowances have been reviewed from a claimable sliding scale rate of between $65 and $91 per set of seven days to an unclaimable sliding scale rate of between $207 and $303 per month.
According to the agreement, the Government has also increased allowances for nurses.
Standby allowances for nurses based at rural health centres have been reviewed from claimable rate of $70 for a set of seven days to an unclaimable rate of $240 per set per month.
The maximum standby has been limited to a maximum of 14 days per month.
An allowance for nurse managers has also been introduced at a non-claimable rate of between $350 and $450 per month.
Medical allowances have also been reviewed from 15 percent to 20 percent of basic salary.
The Government also committed to correct grading anomalies in the health sector.
Nurses yesterday said they would continue with their plans to down tools as they were not satisfied with what the Government was offering them.
Zimbabwe Nurses Association secretary-general Mr Enoch Dongo said the Government had agreed with doctors but was still to meet nurses’ demands.
“We have noted what the Government has offered and we consulted with our members who feel it falls short of our expectations. We are still negotiating with the employer and if nothing is agreed on by 15 April when our notice expires, we are striking,” he said.
Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa could not be reached for comment yesterday as he was not answering his mobile phone.
Health Services Board chairman Dr Lovemore Mbengeranwa’s mobile phone also rang unanswered.
The situation at the country’s major hospitals has been deplorable for the past two weeks.
Yesterday Sunday News visited Mpilo Central Hospital where dejected patients in the casualty department complained that they were not being assisted.
“We came here first thing in the morning, before 8am we queued here but it’s now midday and we have not been attended to. There was a doctor who was here when we arrived but he did not treat any patient and he eventually left.
“The one that came later is the one assisting but there is little movement in the queue. We hope he is not going to leave also before he sees all of us here,” said a patient at the institution.
Reports said major hospitals in Harare — Parirenyatwa and Harare hospitals had stopped admitting new patients due to incapacity to treat them because of the strike.
