60 junior doctors sacked over strike

60 junior doctors sacked over strike

• Army doctors struggle as nurses join strike

• MDC urges Pairenyatwa to quit over strike

• Olinda gets help from our readers

• The human face of doctors' strike

• Minister ignores striking doctors

• Doctors strike over working conditions

• Zimbabwe loses half of health professionals

• Zim nurses face uncertain future in UK

By Staff Reporter

SIXTY Zimbabwean junior doctors have been sacked from Harare's main hospital after going on strike in December demanding salary hikes, their union has chief.

"About 60 doctors have received dismissal letters," Kudakwashe Nyamutukwa, president of the Hospital Doctors' Association, told AFP Wednesday.

He said the doctors had defied calls from Health Minister David Parirenyatwa to return to work while their grievances were being looked into.

"The doctors are not going to bow down until their demands are met," Nyamutukwa said.

Harare central hospital executive chairman and chief executive officer Jealousy Nderere, signed the dismissal letters, saying the striking doctors were "discharged from service with effect from 21 January 2007"

"It has been noted that you have not been reporting for duty for a continuous period of 30 days since the 22nd of December 2006," he added.

The junior doctors had been demanding a major increase in their current salaries of 56,000 Zimbabwean dollars (224 US dollars) a month, whose value is being slowly eroded by rampant inflation.

Parirenyatwa last month met with representatives of the striking doctors saying they had agreed for them to return to work after both sides had "looked at the challenges they are facing especially the issues of salaries, accommodation transport in terms of car loans."

Zimbabwe is in the throes of a severe economic recession characterised by four-digit inflation, massive unemployment and chronic shortages of drugs in state hospitals and basic foodstuffs such as sugar and the staple cornmeal.

State health institutions have been hit by an exodus of key staff including specialist doctors, pharmacists and nurses to countries such as Australia, Botswana, Britain, New Zealand and neighbouring South Africa.

According to Nyamutukwa, Zimbabwe has about 350 junior doctors, and up to 800 senior practioners on the government payroll. - AFP
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com