Zimbabwe has passed a law prohibiting long-term strikes by health-care workers such as nurses and doctors, with defiant workers or union leaders facing up to six months in prison, according to state-run media and a government spokesman.
The provision, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law last week but made public on Wednesday, states that health workers can strike for up to three days because they provide an essential service.
“Health professionals should continue providing emergency services during a strike,” government spokesman Nick Mangwana tweeted.
Health workers’ frequent and weeks-long strikes have strained Zimbabwe’s public health facilities, which are already in poor condition due to dilapidated infrastructure and medicine shortages.
Public health personnel contend that their salary , roughly ZW 361,000 ($100) per month and lack of essential tools make their tasks impossible. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) estimates that the unemployment rate in the nation is 90%.
The country, which once had some of the best public healthcare facilities and personnel in the region, is now experiencing brain drain as nurses and doctors seek better opportunities elsewhere, primarily in the United Kingdom.
Source: Aljazeera News
