The Ministry of Health has threatened striking Doctors and told them if they don’t report for duty they will be in trouble. This was after the Doctors were said to have left the negotiating room after the government has offered them a 60% increase.
Below is the Press Statement by the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
5 October 2019
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE ON THE WITHDRAWAL OF LABOR BY DOCTORS
On 4 October 2019 Old parties do the Health Service Bipartite Negotiating panel (HSBNP) agreed to a 60 percent increase on Health Sector Specific Allowances. However The Doctors Representatives walked out of the negotiations as they preferred a higher percentage. This 60 percent increase was in Improvement on the previous over by government of 30% which was rejected by the Health Appex Council.
New allowance covers night Duty allowance, nurse managers allowance, on-call allowance, special health allowance and a stand-by/ call-out call out allowance. The parties to the meeting also agreed on the Locum rates of Nurses and paramedics to be reviewed from the current 4 dollars to $16 per day hour, and from $6 to $24 per night hour. Locum rates for doctors were also reviewed from the current $7 $28 per day hour and 10 dollars to forty dollars per night hour.
The following way also reviewed in the manner prescribed below.
- Initial uniform Grant reviewed from $75 to $300
- uniform maintenance allowance reviewed from $75 to $300.
- Psychiatric allowance reviewed from twenty dollars two hundred dollars per month
- Out of residence allowance reviewed from $250 to $500 per month.
- Post basic allowance reviewed from $70 to $150 per month whilst additional post basic allowance would be increased from $10 to $25 per month for the first additional qualification.
Government is shown its sincerity by continuously engaging the health workers to address the challenges including implementing programs that ensure they have the needed medicines and equipment to deliver Medical Care. Their remuneration packages have been reviewed consistently in the context of the obtaining economic climate. Government is therefore appalled that doctors have walked out from the negotiating table and from their patients who are in dire need of their care.
Government is grateful to those doctors who remained on their post of Duty delivering care saving lives and alleviating suffering. For sake of saving lives of the patients we now call on doctors Ministry of Health and University Consultants to report to their post of Duty.
At 0800 hours on Monday on the 7th of October 2019 those who failed to do so are reminded that they are in breach of their contracts of employment and will face disciplinary action.
Patients lives are Paramount
statement by
Honorable. Dr. O. Moyo
Minister of Health and Child Care.
