Sinokubonga Nkala
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, smoyo@chronicle.co.zw
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has announced an ambitious plan to increase the number of public health personnel in Zimbabwe to 128 000 by 2030, a significant leap from the current workforce of 55 000.
This move aims to ensure universal access to health services, leaving no citizen behind. Speaking after a tour of Ingutsheni Central Hospital in Bulawayo, Health and Child Care Minister, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, revealed that the Government has already begun implementing strategies to address staffing shortages.
These include doubling nurse training intake numbers and improving working conditions for health professionals.
“We have about 55 000 on the post but in the establishment, we have 58 000 so the balance is the deficit which we are saying we have vacancies. We want to increase these number to 128 000 by 2030, this is why we are talking about doubling the figures,” said Dr Mombeshora.
Since the late 1990s, Zimbabwe has suffered a significant brain drain of health professionals, crippling the public health system. The World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that this has been a persistent challenge.
To combat this, the Government is working with the WHO and other stakeholders to strengthen the health system and enhance the working environment for healthcare workers.
Speaking during the 55 Kaizen Total Quality Management (TQM) Awareness Campaign at Gweru Provincial Hospital recently, Health Services Commission deputy chairperson, Dr Rugare Abigail Kangwende, said a health labour market analysis conducted in 2021 and 2022 revealed that the country’s health workforce stands at just 47,5 percent of the required capacity.
Government has already increased nurse intake in key training institutions, with efforts focused on scaling up training in areas with potential.
“We are looking at our training institutions to increase numbers and the ministry has already started that. In some hospitals like Parirenyatwa in Harare we have increased from training 30 nurses to 60,” said Dr Mombeshora.
“We also almost doubled in Chinhoyi from 25 to 40. We are looking at schools that have got the potential to increase but one of our challenges is getting enough tutors, but as we train more we will be able to get tutors as well.”
According to WHO estimates, there are 29 million nurses and 2,2 million midwives worldwide. However, a shortage of 4,8 million health workers, including 4,5 million nurses and 0,31 million midwives, is projected by 2030. This gap is most acute in Africa, South-East Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, and parts of Latin America.
In Zimbabwe, the Health Service Amendment Act of 2022 has established the Health Services Commission, which oversees the administration and conditions of service for health personnel. This legislative framework, coupled with ongoing reforms, is expected to attract and retain health professionals, mitigating the effects of the global health workforce shortage.
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