Correspondent|While state media is going out of its way claiming that the strike by junior doctors has been lifted, evidence indicates that one of the country’s big government institutions the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) has closed the Outpatients Department and ordered all recovering patients to be discharged with immediate effect due to the strike by the doctors.
In a letter addressed to heads of departments the hospital said, “Please be advised that there is an ongoing industrial action by the JRMOs/SRMOs at all the central hospitals since 02 December 2018.
Management recommends:
• Closure of the Outpatient department till further notice;
• Discharging all stable patients who are considered as safe on treatment as out-patients;
• Casualty officers to admit patients to respective disciplines in liaison with teams on call;
• Continue with emergency operations only…
It is feared that many other hospitals across the country could follow the same if doctors and the government do not reach an agreement soon.
The strike, which began as a go-slow at the weekend, generated into a full-blown industrial action on Monday.
Across the city a doctor at Mpilo Hospital confirmed that the doctors at the institution downed their tools.
“We are disgruntled by the erosion of our salaries by the hyper-inflationary environment gripping the country, which has rendered our income worthless,” the doctor said.
“Prices of basic commodities are increasing by each passing day and the prices of fuel have also gone up. The uncertainty in the economy has eroded our income, hence we are demanding that our employer pay us in the greenback.”
The source said poor working conditions were also riling doctors, yet money was being gobbled up by the bloated management.
“We also want them to improve our working conditions by providing protective equipment at work and pay our locum allowances. The other issue is the introduction of non-medical chief executive officers at the health institutions, which we blame for the deteriorating working conditions because they are not conversant with health issues,” the source said.
Key among their concerns was acute shortage of vital medicines and basic theatre consumables.
The doctors also said they were greatly concerned by the fact that private pharmacies were demanding foreign currency payments and rejecting medical aid.
Another disgruntlement was the long working hours, which they said left the healthcare workers overburdened and fatigued.
Most hospitals are understaffed and use obsolete equipment.
The doctors also want to be paid in foreign currency, saying the current remuneration was inadequate.
“What we are appealing for is genuine. These are genuine concerns and there is no reason to persuade anyone to understand this,” they said.
Early this year, a countrywide doctors’ strike crippled health delivery services and many patients had a torrid time trying to get medical assistance.