Talks between doctors and Health ministry collapse

By Tichaona Sibanda
30 January 2007

Negotiations between striking doctors and their parent ministry have broken down amid fears the death toll at major hospitals has increased at an alarming rate.

It also emerged on Tuesday that mortuary attendants and cooks at the hospitals have also joined the strike. Kudakwashe Nyamutukwa, President of the Hospital Doctors Association, told Newsreel from Harare
that they have called off any negotiations with officials from the Ministry of Health.

He said nothing has changed despite government’s use of divisive methods in an effort to lure some of the doctors back to work. Government last week paid some of the doctors their January salaries while others received nothing.

‘This is a clear indication government wants to divide us but that won’t happen. Those that were paid are still with us and they will not be going back to work,’ Nyamutukwa said.

Apart from the nine doctors seconded from the army, it is not clear if there is anyone reporting for duty at the major hospitals, after nurses joined in two weeks ago. Last week support staff such as paramedics, radiographers and physiotherapists joined in and this leaves the country’s health delivery system in complete meltdown.

There are also reports that consultants are seriously considering downing their tools in an effort to force government to reconsider its position on negotiations. Although Nyamutukwa could not comment on this, a source told us the senior doctors are fed up with the stalemate between government and the junior doctors.

As the strike entered its sixth week on Monday the rate of patients dying at the hospitals has gone up and it is believed if nothing is done about the strike the country could be facing a major catastrophe.

The President of Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights, Dr Douglas Gwatidzo, has already warned that the standoff between government and the junior doctors could spell doom for the whole nation if it is not resolved soon.