Zimbabwe抯 public sector doctors temporarily return to work
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《英国医生杂志》
The prolonged battle in Zimbabwe between public sector doctors and the government seems to be over, for the time being, after doctors returned to work last week.
But health troubles in the country are far from over. Nurses have also been on strike, and the country抯 largest nursing college failed to open last week when only a handful of tutors, also in search of more money, turned up for work.
Private sector doctors have also hiked up their fees. They are demanding cash up front from their patients as they wrangle with health insurers, whom they accuse of misspending funds.
The strike among public sector doctors, which began last year, has necessitated legal action and the deployment of the police and the army at times. Last week doctors agreed to return to work temporarily, to ease the hardships caused by the strike.
But they also issued an ultimatum at the same time, suggesting that if the government failed to meet their demands the strike would resume. Doctors told the government it had two months to resolve the dispute.
Doctors had demanded pay rises of 8000%, which might seem huge but which has to be seen against the background of the weak Zimbabwean dollar and rampant inflation, currently running at over 600%.
Radio Zimbabwe reported the Hospital Doctors Association as saying that doctors were returning "in order to help our patients, not because of the offer that the government has put in front of us . . . but we cannot abandon people to continue suffering."
The government is reported to have offered six million Zimbabwe dollars a month, including various allowances and some tax concessions. The allowances, which make up the bulk of monthly income, include on call monies, housing and transport costs, and medical insurance.
The editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, Iden Wetherell, who was arrested at the weekend, reported that the government and the Civil Service Commission fear that the deal may provoke other civil servants to take similar action. Other government employees are asking for a 600% pay rise.
Last year a tribunal ruled the strike illegal, although doctors failed to return to work. The government then ordered police to arrest doctors who were on strike.
Meanwhile the nursing college, part of Harare Central Hospital, told student nurses last week that they should go home until further notice. The college was due to have opened on 4 January, but only three tutors turned up; 15 are required to teach.(Johannesburg Pat Sidley)
But health troubles in the country are far from over. Nurses have also been on strike, and the country抯 largest nursing college failed to open last week when only a handful of tutors, also in search of more money, turned up for work.
Private sector doctors have also hiked up their fees. They are demanding cash up front from their patients as they wrangle with health insurers, whom they accuse of misspending funds.
The strike among public sector doctors, which began last year, has necessitated legal action and the deployment of the police and the army at times. Last week doctors agreed to return to work temporarily, to ease the hardships caused by the strike.
But they also issued an ultimatum at the same time, suggesting that if the government failed to meet their demands the strike would resume. Doctors told the government it had two months to resolve the dispute.
Doctors had demanded pay rises of 8000%, which might seem huge but which has to be seen against the background of the weak Zimbabwean dollar and rampant inflation, currently running at over 600%.
Radio Zimbabwe reported the Hospital Doctors Association as saying that doctors were returning "in order to help our patients, not because of the offer that the government has put in front of us . . . but we cannot abandon people to continue suffering."
The government is reported to have offered six million Zimbabwe dollars a month, including various allowances and some tax concessions. The allowances, which make up the bulk of monthly income, include on call monies, housing and transport costs, and medical insurance.
The editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, Iden Wetherell, who was arrested at the weekend, reported that the government and the Civil Service Commission fear that the deal may provoke other civil servants to take similar action. Other government employees are asking for a 600% pay rise.
Last year a tribunal ruled the strike illegal, although doctors failed to return to work. The government then ordered police to arrest doctors who were on strike.
Meanwhile the nursing college, part of Harare Central Hospital, told student nurses last week that they should go home until further notice. The college was due to have opened on 4 January, but only three tutors turned up; 15 are required to teach.(Johannesburg Pat Sidley)