Midlands Correspondent
Zimbabwe is facing a critical shortage of health professionals, with the challenge compounded by an unequal distribution of the available workforce that leaves rural and hard-to-reach communities underserved.
Speaking during the graduation of nurses and environment health technicians at Gweru Provincial Hospital Health Services Commission (HSC) chairperson Dr Vincent Hungwe, who was represented by HSC deputy chairperson Dr Rugare Abigail Kangwende, said Government was working with relevant ministries and institutions to increase the number of health professionals graduating from training institutions.
He said a study conducted about three years ago established that the country did not have enough health professionals to meet the needs of its population and achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
He said Government had set a target of doubling the health workforce by creating and funding at least 32 000 new posts by 2030.
“Government has been very faithful and forthcoming on this aspiration. So far, in 2025 and 2026, our Treasury has granted us a total of 14 000 posts for health workers,” Dr Hungwe said.
However, filling the posts remains a challenge, particularly for specialised and critical cadres.
“Posts such as nurses, specialist doctors and specialist nurses, pharmacists, radiographers, laboratory scientists and tutors are very difficult to fill because there are not enough qualified people on the market,” he said.
He said the shortage was further aggravated by the skewed distribution of health workers, with rural and hard-to-reach areas struggling to attract and retain professionals.
The HSC and Ministry of Health and Child Care are developing a rural workforce retention scheme that will classify health institutions according to hardship levels under a Red, Amber and Green system.
“Red would be the hardest-to-reach areas, so the highest quantity of incentives would be allocated to workers deployed in these areas,” Dr Hungwe said.
The scheme is expected to be fully operational in early 2027.
Dr Hungwe raised concern over the impending withdrawal of financial support from development partners and donors, who currently provide allowances to health workers in hard-to-reach areas and tutors at training institutions.
“Sadly, this funding will end in December 2026, and that is why we are frantically trying to get this Red-Amber-Green scheme going at the beginning of 2027,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube urged graduating health professionals to uphold ethical and compassionate patient care.
“It is disheartening at times to hear chilling stories of poor patient care at the hands of our nurses at some health institutions,” Ncube said.
He urged the graduates to adhere to the Hippocratic oath and serve patients with patience, tolerance, compassion and love.
A total of 336 nurses and 57 environmental health technicians covering the period 2017 to 2026 graduated during the ceremony.
