Latest news with #ZINA
Zawya
16-05-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Belarus offers support to improve Zimbabwe's healthcare system
President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the Bilateral meeting with the President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, 14 May 2025. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has said his country is ready to help Zimbabwe develop a more comprehensive healthcare system. He made the offer during talks with President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Minsk on 14 May 2025. He said (via BELTA): We are ready to assist Zimbabwe in creating a comprehensive healthcare system, supplying medicines and specialised equipment to address the issue of healthcare accessibility for children, women, and the entire population of Zimbabwe. You have studied our healthcare system. As far as I know, you liked it, and you are ready to build it in Zimbabwe with our help. We are willing to assist you in this. Zimbabwe's public healthcare system is under serious strain, with widespread concerns over crumbling infrastructure, chronic shortages of medical supplies, and poorly paid health workers. In a recent appeal, Youth Empowerment Minister Tinoda Machakaire publicly urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to personally visit hospitals to witness the dire conditions first-hand. The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) has also sounded the alarm, saying nurses are grappling with difficult working conditions and unlivable salaries. Many hospitals are struggling to operate without essential equipment, medicines, or enough staff, placing immense pressure on those still working within the system. To address some of these issues, Zimbabwe has signed agreements with Belarus to strengthen medical regulatory standards and ensure access to safe and effective medicines. The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Belarus' Republican Unitary Enterprise Centre for Examinations and Tests in Health Service (RUE-CETH), a step officials hope will improve oversight and raise standards across the country's healthcare sector. © Copyright The Zimbabwean. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
The South African
06-05-2025
- Health
- The South African
Zimbabwe blocks 4 000 nurses from migrating to UK jobs
The Zimbabwean government has blocked over 4 000 local nurses from taking up jobs in the United Kingdom, saying the move is necessary to prevent further strain on the country's already fragile public healthcare system. According to ZimbabweMail, officials say the decision aims to address growing staff shortages and maintain essential services under pressure from a rising disease burden. The move comes as Zimbabwe continues to lose healthcare professionals to countries such as the UK, Australia, and Canada. Low wages, poor working conditions, and limited career growth have pushed many to seek better opportunities abroad. Thousands have already left the country in recent years. According to a senior Ministry of Health and Child Care official, the government has temporarily halted the issuance of verification letters required for nurses to work abroad, particularly in the UK. 'We recognise their right to seek opportunities, but we must also keep our hospitals running,' the official said. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has actively recruited nurses from Zimbabwe through a bilateral agreement that initially aimed to support development goals. However, Zimbabwean officials have raised concerns that the arrangement is being used to poach critical staff rather than foster mutual benefits. The Health Services Board has warned that the ongoing departure of nurses is undermining operations at major referral hospitals such as Parirenyatwa, Mpilo, and Harare Central. The impact has been even more severe in rural health centres, where resources are already stretched thin. In response, the government is reviewing measures to retain healthcare professionals. Proposed strategies include retention allowances, improved working conditions, and expanded training opportunities. Authorities are also considering revising international migration agreements to include return service obligations or compensation clauses. The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) has condemned the government's decision. Calling it a short-term measure that fails to address systemic problems. 'The state cannot force professionals to stay in a broken system,' a ZINA spokesperson said. 'If working conditions and pay were fair, nurses would not be desperate to leave.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
