By Paidashe Mandivengerei
Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) has today (Sunday) blasted the newly formed doctors body for attempting to capitalize on their job action causing divisions among the medical professionals.
This follows the launch of a splinter group, Progressive Doctors Association of Zimbabwe yesterday.
According to ZHDA the new association formation, three months after doctor’s downed tools is ‘selfish’ and aimed at ruining progress made so far by their negotiations with the Health Ministry.
Doctors went on strike over 3 months ago over paltry salaries and vile working conditions.
In a statement released Sunday, ZHDA said the few doctors who were reporting for had only done so due to fear of victimization and empty promises.
“The very few doctors who have returned to their work stations have done so by and large out of fear of victimisation and based on false promises.
Doctors remain incapacitated without means to carry out their daily duties and survive.
While a few have returned to work, public health institutions are still operating below their normal capacity.
Hospitals remain desperately short of consumables and essential equipment.
For more than 3 months there has been no attempt to redress this crisis.
It is not unexpected in such settings to witness the formation of splinter groups, each with the
aim to cause division, drive personal agendas and worst of all, capitalise on the destitution of
the populace.
It is against this background that we strongly caution our members to remain
vigilant and by all means to distance themselves from such associations that surface at the 11th hour, jeopardizing all progress that has been made through the negotiation process.
The ZHDA has stood the test of time as an association that is founded on honesty and
transparency. In the same vein, any association that is born out of opportunism, self-centred
motives and dishonesty is surely bound to fail and progress into extinction.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has recently declared its unwillingness to continue dialogue; a regrettable position given the critical state our health care stands in.
However,we remain open and willing to continue engaging the Ministry, government and all developmental partners until the poorest citizen of this nation can fully enjoy his/her universally recognised
right to health.”
