Health workers should put the nation first in the fight to contain Covid-19, President Mnangagwa said on Friday when assuring them that Government was attending to their grievances.

In a moving speech at the burial of the late Perrance Shiri, who succumbed to Covid-19 on Wednesday at the age of 65, Mnangagwa said Zimbabweans should draw lessons from the late liberation war commander who selflessly served his country with distinction until the very end.

This comes a majority of health workers have been withdrawing their labour, seeking higher salaries and better personal protective equipment. However, Mnangagwa, who acknowledged their grievances, said amid a global pandemic, saving lives was paramount and should come first.

“We must stop the scourge of Covid-19, itself a global pandemic. It spares no one, great or small. All nations of the world are suffering from its impact, with figures of infections and deaths rising daily. In unity and through discipline, we stand a chance to save our nation from its menace.

“I call on our medical staff to act in the national interest and exhibit a great sense of responsibility. My Government hears your cries, listens to your concerns. But the time to serve is now. Your grievances, which we acknowledge and continue to address, cannot be enjoyed at the expense of loss of life. When the pandemic spreads and the death toll rises, there are no winners, none at all. Tinopera tese kufa,” the President said.

He called upon Zimbabweans to stay at home, wear masks, maintain good hygiene and practice social distancing to curb the spread of Covid-19 that has infected close to 20 million people globally.

Zimbabwe has recorded more than 3 000 positive cases with 53 deaths by Thursday night.