AFRICA/ZIMBABWE - Catholic Justice and Peace Commission says national doctors strike must stop "an agreement must be reached because the people are the ones who are suffering”

Monday, 22 January 2007

Harare (Agenzia Fides)- Ever more serious the consequences of a strike of medical staff in Zimbabwe. While the authorities have decided to send army doctors and nurses to serve in civil hospitals, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Zimbabwe has urged the government to take into consideration the requests the medical staff who went on strike four weeks ago.
The statement reads: “The strike is causing great suffering and also loss of life. Doctors have the right to strike when employers disregard their needs. However unless the conflict is settled the ordinary people will continue to suffer”.
The hospital staff rejected a government offer as inadequate and decided to continue with an all-out strike. Doctors and nurses are demanding an 8.000 per cent salary raise to compensate an inflation rate of 1.200 per cent which continues to rise.
To help hospitals to function and to provide assistance for the patients the government has mobilised military doctors and nurses, but this emergency measure cannot last long. The army was mobilised to guarantee another vital service public transport, also grounded by a wave of strikes and protests.
In the present economic crisis technical cadres continue to leave the country. This “brain drain” of qualified personnel aggravates the economic and social difficulties of what was once ‘Africa’s granary’. Many of those who emigrate are doctors who find jobs in Australia, Botswana, South Africa, Great Britain and New Zealand. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 22/1/2007 righe 29 parole 340)


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