Todd Bishop
Doctors at the Zimbabwe public hospital went on strike in September. The hospital was completely paralyzed, and the morgue was filled with corpses that had died because they could not receive treatment. The family had to wait for the cadaver to protest wages and poor working conditions. 448 junior doctors have been fired for strikes and violations of labor court orders, and another 150 must face disciplinary hearings.
According to the BBC, Zimbabwe is experiencing the worst economic crisis in 10 years, and the inflation rate has soared to 500%. Even if wages have accounted for more than 80% of the national budget, the government still cannot give the salaries required by doctors and civil servants. Not only that, food The problem is also quite serious. 90% of children between 6 months and 2 years of age do not have the necessary minimum nutrition, and 60% of the total population cannot meet basic dietary needs.
Most strike doctors earn less than $ 100 a month and are unable to sustain themselves. They are not called strikes for this operation, but are unable to go to work. SHDA also issued a statement on the 28th stating that the crisis was a “silent genocide.” Beginning in March this year, doctors were forced to work without adequate bandages, gloves and syringes. The government Doctors should not be fired, especially now that the poor economic environment has led to low wages, so no emergency services will be provided from the 26th until all fired doctors return to their posts.
Local people interviewed by the BBC said that no medical examination could be performed without the signature of a doctor. Another pregnant woman suffered violence from her husband, injured her left eye, and could not feel the fetal movement. She heard that there was a medic in the hospital in the capital Harare, and she wandered around the hospital trying her luck. Health Minister Obadiah Moyo said at a press conference that he was unaware of the strike of senior doctors and that disciplinary action would continue to be taken against those who resisted work.
