By a Correspondent
Zimbabwean health workers have threatened to withdraw some services accusing the government of renegading on a commitment to review health-specific allowances, deepening tensions between authorities and medical personnel.
The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) says the allowances, which were last reviewed in 2022, have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living, despite health workers continuing to perform night duty, on-call and standby responsibilities under difficult conditions.
ZINA president and Health Apex Team leader Enock Dongo said health workers had been promised in April that the allowances would be reviewed, with June set as the deadline through the Health Bipartite negotiating panel.
However, representatives were subsequently informed at a recent bipartite meeting that the review could not be implemented this year because the government had “no fiscal space”, according to Dongo.
The development has angered health workers, who accuse the government of repeatedly failing to honour its commitments.
Dongo said the dispute involved nurses, doctors, pharmacists, radiographers, laboratory scientists and other health professionals.
“We are saying enough is enough,” Dongo said, warning that continued failure to resolve the issue could result in the temporary withdrawal of night, on-call and standby duties.
Such action could affect the delivery of healthcare in public hospitals and clinics, with Dongo warning of potentially serious consequences for patients who depend on government health facilities.
ZINA is demanding an immediate review of the health-specific allowances, backdated to 2022.
The association is also calling on the government to honour the April 2026 commitment and the June deadline agreed through the health-sector negotiating structures.
Dongo has further demanded public accountability from Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora and Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, whom he said had publicly committed to the review.
He also called for urgent engagement between the government, ZINA and other health-worker representatives to prevent the dispute from escalating.
The latest dispute adds to longstanding tensions over remuneration and working conditions in Zimbabwe’s public health sector, with health workers previously pressing the government for improved salaries and allowances.
The government has cited limited fiscal resources for its position, while health workers argue that the existing allowances have been eroded by inflation and the rising cost of living.
Dongo said health workers had “waited long enough” and urged authorities to resolve the matter before industrial action affects services.
