Mass health professionals exodus: HSB appeal to private players
TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
Government and private players should unite in search for strategies to respond to the growing number of health professionals fleeing poor working conditions and other challenges in Zimbabwe, the Health Service Board (HSB) has said.
Health professionals leave Zimbabwe to take up jobs in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, among many other countries, largely due poor conditions including low salaries.
HSB general manager, Nornah Zhou, said the exodus has adversely affected Zimbabwe’s already fragile health system.
According to HSB, as at November 30 last year, a total of 2 246 health care professionals had left the service, more than double the number that left in 2020. About 993 health care professionals left the country in 2020.
“… We have a big challenge in our health sector. There are serious health worker shortages. Our government has been working to improve our health services but they cannot afford the maximum improvements at one go.
“That is why we now need our partners to come on board,” Zhou said, at a two-day stakeholder meeting for the sector in Bulawayo this week.
The meeting was attended by officials from the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, Unicef, Global Fund, and European Union among other development partners.
The policy dialogue aimed at sharing information on health labour analysis, identifying priority health workforce investment opportunities, and building consensus on strategic priorities and investment options to inform a national health workforce strategy and investment plan.
Zhou said the government was looking forward to private players to contribute in the sector.
“As a government we cannot do it alone. As a country there are so many facilities that are privately owned that are giving service to people so the government appreciates their contribution. We also look forward to them contributing to the health sector as a whole, “ Zhou said.
In 2021, the Matabeleland region alone lost hundreds of health workers which severely affected the effective healthcare delivery at a time when the country was also grappling with Covid-19.
The Bulawayo City Council is also battling a serious brain drain with a number of its health workers leaving in droves for abroad.
The council’s 19 clinics are operating with staffing levels of between 52% and 62%. Council requires a staff complement of 186 nursing staff to operate at full capacity.
The local authority has been running with 120 nurses, but resignations have seen the figure further dropping down in the last six months.
