Doctors in Zimbabwe have gone on strike over salaries and working conditions.
The strike however affects healthcare services in public hospitals with the doctors vowing not to return to work until their demands are met.
The strike which was declared on Tuesday is the first major labour dispute under the new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa who took over from Robert Mugabe last year.
Zimbabwe is currently facing economic challenges with the current government hoping to fix those issues in the coming months to bring relief to citizens.
Spokesman for the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), Mxolisi Ngwenya has said that “The main issue we have raised currently is that it does not make sense for us to continue working in hospitals that do not have any drugs or sufficient equipment.”
He further disclosed that junior doctors went on strike on March 1 with the labour action now spreading to other public hospitals this week.
The government is yet to agree to the doctors’ demand of increased on-call allowances for doctors to $10 an hour from the current $1.50.
Ngwenya has also said that junior doctors, who earn a basic monthly salary of $329 before allowances are yet to get duty-free vehicles as agreed previously.
The Health Minister of Zimbabwe, David Parirenyatwa has told local media that the government was resolving the grievances of the doctors and urged them to return to work.
Source: Africafeeds.com
