By Idah Mhetu

HORDES of hospital doctors on Thursday presented their petition to Parliament after the High Court had barred the police from interfering with their march.

The doctors started protesting on Monday, demanding the return of the then missing Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association acting president Peter Magombeyi who had allegedly been abducted the previous weekend.

Magombeyi resurfaced five days later but the situation in the country’s public health centres had deteriorated to alarming levels and health workers are now demanding a salary review and have declared they will not return to work.

On Monday, Parirenyatwa Hospital, among other health institutions discharged all the non-critical patients leaving those in critical conditions. It was a deadly call forcing the government to turn to the military for help. Below are some of the images:

A woman cries as doctors pray for Magombeyi’s safe return

Government was left clutching at straws and had to call in the army for help

Wards that are normally full of patients were empty 

Even lawyers joined in the protests that initially involved doctors only 

It got to this. A health worker holds a banner

While others were being discharged, other patients were coming in but to neither doctors nor nurses. Many were surviving by the Grace of God.