Junior Doctors To Form Splinter Group - REPORT

Some junior doctors are reportedly planning to break away from the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) and form a rival group to speed up negotiations with the government.

A junior doctor who is part of the steering interim committee told The Herald that the current ZHDA leadership has been captured by foreign forces and was no longer negotiating with the employer in good faith. Said the doctor:

Most doctors behind the scenes are getting frustrated by the way things keep unfolding, so there is a group that has decided to lead like minds into meaningful negotiations with the employer.

This group believes that while the doctors’ concerns are genuine, the leadership is also not sincere in these negotiations.

The ZHDA declared incapacitation over three months ago due to paltry salaries and shortage of consumables at public hospitals.

Recently, a Zimbabwean-born billionaire, Strive Masiyiwa, through his Higher Life Foundation (HLF), offered the doctors a monthly allowance of $5 000 for the next six months, a smartphone, among other benefits for them to return to work.

More: The Herald