The Zimbabwean government through it’s Ministry of Health, has reportedly “ignored” the doctors’ strike that has yet crippled all state hospitals nationwide as surgeons demand a pay rise from current their paltry $283 per month.
A spokesperson for the Doctors Association for Matebelenand, Dr Emmerson Pazara has told ZimEye.com the government has not responded at all to the strike which began yeterday, Monday. There has been no response from the ministry. No indication whatsoever.”
He added:

“The government has shown arrogance which is irritating the doctors’ camp. All our please are falling on deaf ears.”
Harare Central Hospital’s clinical director, George Vera quoted by a local daily said the industrial action had paralysed operations in many departments.
“The strike has affected us such that in some of the departments, we are dealing with emergencies only,” Vera said.
“The patients are being inconvenienced as we speak. But it’s not all members that have gone on strike, some are available.”
At Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, patients complained of spending hours on end in queues without being attended to.
A nurse who declined to be named said service delivery was slow as the majority of junior doctors were on strike.
However, the situation was different at Chitungwiza Central Hospital with CEO Obadiah Moyo saying all his medical staff had reported for duty.
“They are all at work because they have patients at heart,” Moyo said.
In Bulawayo, the doctors’ strike got off to a slow start although they appeared to be on a go-slow with long queues forming in the outpatients department and admissions rooms at Mpilo Central and United Bulawayo Hospitals.
People visiting patients at Mpilo told Southern Eye that service delivery was markedly slower, with doctors taking longer to attend to patients.
“I recall coming here at around 6am during the visiting hour and I was told to wait for the doctors,” a visitor, who requested anonymity, said.
“It took about three hours to be told my relative’s condition.”
The junior doctors are demanding that their salaries be reviewed from the current $282 a month to a minimum of $1 200 per month excluding allowances.
They are also demanding free accommodation in government-owned flats.
Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association secretary-general Farai Makoni confirmed that their members had embarked on industrial action in accordance with the new Constitution.
“Section 65 subsection 3 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that, except for members of the security services, every employee has the right to participate in collective job action, including the right to strike, sit in, withdraw their labour and to take other similar concerted action,” he said.
“Indeed we are on industrial action until our issues are addressed duly.”
Makoni said that they had not received any concrete and verifiable evidence from the authorities on progress towards their demands.
Health minister David Parirenyatwa confirmed the work stoppage and appealed to the negotiators to urgently resolve the impassé before the strike paralysed the health sector.
“When the doctors gave their notice [to strike], I sent the Health Services Board (HSB) to get together with the doctors and work out a plan so as to come up with a way forward. The strike is unfortunate and I hope the discussions should go on so that we resolve this issue very quickly. The whole of government is very engaged with this matter,” Parirenyatwa said.
When asked if the doctors have experienced their own personal setbacks, Dr Emmerson Pazara told ZimEye.com, “We have plenty, but we won’t tire until we are heard.