The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Sunday News Reporter
THE Health Services Board (HSB) has dismissed reports that the ongoing nationwide head count of all its employees was a witch-hunting exercise.
The head count has resulted in anxiety among some of the workers who fear they could lose their jobs. However, HSB public relations executive Mr Nyasha Maravanyika said the exercise which started on 26 October this year was in line with recommendations of the civil service audit report of 2015.
Mr Maravanyika said the head count exercise was not a witch-hunt as suspected, but was part of efforts by Government to rationalise its workforce. He said the exercise was expected to run for up to six weeks, before compilation of a comprehensive report by the end of the year.
“The head count is meant to help us account for the employees that we have. In terms of our staff establishment, the head count will help us have the correct figures for planning purposes. There is no witch-hunt going on but just a head count in line with recommendations of the civil service audit report,” he said.
Mr Maravanyika said the exercise was being carried out at all levels of health care including mission and rural district institutions where employees are on Government payroll. He said the exercise was going on well in the areas that have been covered so far, although he could not give a figurative update off the cuff.
HSB dispatched eight teams to all provinces, central hospitals and other public health sector institutions to carry out the exercise. All public health sector workers are expected to be at their respective stations for verification of their employment.
However, employees who are officially on manpower development leave do not need to return to work as internal records would be reviewed to establish approval of their absence.
The Health Services Board has been on record calling on Government to review the country’s nurses establishment to align it with the growing national population as well as the increasing need for health services in the country. Zimbabwe’s nurses establishment which was last reviewed in 1983 was reviewed this year to 25 000 up from 16 500. The Government placed a freeze on the recruitment of health workers in 2009 citing dwindling resources. Thousands of qualified nurses are still sitting at home unemployed as a result of the freeze.
Last year the Government directed nurses training institutions to reduce enrolment of student nurses by over 80 percent.
The move was aimed at dealing with the swelling numbers of qualified nurses who have not been employed due to the vacancy freeze in the civil service.
HSB is also on record decrying delays by Treasury to approve the filling of vacant posts in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, a situation the board says has resulted in severe shortages of critical staff in Government health institutions.
Some health institutions in the country, particularly those in rural areas, are reportedly operating without adequate medical staff as the board is not able to quickly replace staff that would have left service for various reasons.
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