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Updated: Doctors Finally Call Off Strike, Sign Agreement With Govt

5 years agoSat, 31 Mar 2018 13:19:08 GMT
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Updated: Doctors Finally Call Off Strike, Sign Agreement With Govt

Medical doctors have finally called off their month-long strike which started on the 1st of March. The doctors had been protesting against inadequate allowances, poor working conditions and lack of essential drugs and equipment at public hospitals. The doctors had vowed that they would not return to work unless they had written agreements arguing that they did not trust Minister of Health and Child Care David Parirenyatwa because he had reneged on an earlier 2014 agreement.

The doctors called off the strike after signing an agreement following the intervention of President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the matter. Mnangagwa is reported to have directed the Health Services Board and the Ministry of Health and Child Care to reach an agreement with the striking doctors.

The timing of the agreement is also fortunate after consultants at two of the country’s biggest referral hospitals Parirenyatwa Group Of Hospitals and Harare Central Hospital had closed their doors to new patients. The doctors had previously called for the head of Minister Parirenyatwa after accusing him of negotiating in bad faith and using state-owned media to spread lies and mislead the general public.  The doctors also dismissed a previous agreement which had been announced by Parirenyatwa saying that the agreement had been unilateral.

Writing on Twitter the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZiMA) said,

Good job to all who put in extra hours to end this strike. #ZiMA urges the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Health Services Board to implement all promises. We urge Dr David Parirenyatwa and (his) team to be pro-active in future.

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Particular thank you to President of Zimbabwe, his excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa for intervening and directing that an agreement be reached.

In a statement the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) said,

The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association wishes to advise members of the press, stakeholders and its public on the following developments on the strike by government doctors which started on the 1st of March 2018.

1. Following the intervention of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde E. D Mnangagwa, there have been positive developments. We have entered an agreement with the Health Services Board.

2. Procurement of essential medicines and drugs is in motion and we expect an improvement soon, so as to offer quality health care to all patients.

3. We have received an upward review of on-call allowances, noting that members work round the clock for up to 360 continuous hours. This is a health-specific allowance. Understanding the current limitations in the economy, we hope to continually review until we attain regional and international standards

4. With effect from today, until latest 02 April 2018, ZHDA members will report for duty. Normal work has resumed.

Should the HSB fail to honour the agreement, we will have no choice but to express our grievances again.

We would like to thank His Excellency, Cde. E. D Mnangagwa for his intervention and swift action.

We would also like to thank the public for sympathizing with our cause, and all who assisted in this positive move towards restoring normalcy to the health sector.

The doctors and government signed an agreement in which they agreed on 13 separate points.  You can read the full agreement here.


Also Read:

Govt Threatens To Withhold Salaries of Doctors Who Continue On Strike, Doctors Unmoved

We Will Not Return To Work Until Govt Supplies Drugs, Equipment, Minister Is Insincere: Doctors


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