More foreign doctors needed, says govt

The government of Zimbabwe is in the process of recruiting doctors and medical specialists from Cuba and Egypt to alleviate the shortage of health workers in the country. Health and Child Welfare Minister David Parirenyatwa told IRIN that teams from Zimbabwe were already in Havana, Cuba, with orders to recruit as many doctors as they could. He said government was also negotiating with Egypt to pave the way for the recruitment of medical personnel from that country. "We want to get as many as we can get - there is a need to fill up all vacant positions to improve health service delivery, particularly in the rural areas. We are looking for general medical practitioners, specialists, technicians, engineers and nursing school tutors," Parirenyatwa told IRIN. He said the country was still losing trained medical personnel to its neighbours and overseas job markets, which offered better opportunities and conditions of service. "We are still losing personnel, but I am sure the new Health Services Commission, which will soon take over the responsibility of recruiting medical personnel, will strive to improve working conditions and remuneration, so that we can retain and even attract more skilled staff," Parirenyatwa added. He also expressed concern that student nurses were abandoning their courses midway to escape the three-year 'bonding' period they are required to serve before they can receive their certificates. The bonding arrangement was imposed last year as a way of reducing the exodus of staff, including newly trained personnel, to countries offering better pay and working conditions. The latest batch of foreign doctors is expected to arrive within the next two months to join the 204 expatriates already working in Zimbabwe. At present there are 127 Cuban doctors in the country - the largest contingent - and 77 from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The shortage of medical personnel has badly affected rural health institutions, which also face chronic shortages of basic medicines. Despite the establishment of several commissions and boards to spearhead the revival of the health sector over the past two years, the shortage of human and financial resources has stalled these efforts.