“Kwekwe doctors, nurses demand US dollars from patients”

KWEKWE– Medical Doctors and nurses at Kwekwe General Hospital face allegations of demanding United States Dollars (USD) from patients who are seeking medical attention at the public health institution, sources told midlandsnews.

The doctors now referred to as Government Medical Officers (GMO) are allegedly working in cahoots with Registered General Nurses (RGNs) charging patients US dollars to see a doctor.

Kwekwe General Hospital has 7 medical doctors.

“The situation here (Kwekwe General Hospital) is getting out of hand, there are no doctors, they only come when nurses contact them if the patient is willing to pay in US dollar, they then share the money, said the source.

“Corruption is happening here and it’s no longer a secret, you see nurses pushing to be deployed to room 6 at the OPD (Out Patients Department) and the operation theatre department were corruption is happening, they charge from as little as USD$2 for review of FBC (blood test), suturing”, added the source.

Doctors embarked on an industrial action last month and are demanding that government pay their salaries in USD to cushion them from rampaging inflation.

In a letter to the Health Service Board (HSB) chairperson Paulinus Sikhosana, the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) said the collective bargain agreement of March 2018 states that their salaries must be paid in US dollar.

“The Collective Bargain Agreement of March 2018 states that our salaries are paid in US dollars. We implore government to pay salaries in US dollars as previously agreed.”

The letter was copied to the Minister of Health and Child Care Obadiah Moyo and Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube.

Efforts to get a comment from Kwekwe General Hospital Medical Superintendent Doctor Mapanda were fruitless by the time of publishing as her mobile phone was not reachable.

mid news