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Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Correspondent
Chitungwiza Municipality’s health department has been given a major boost after the Government extended an offer of four Cuban doctors expected to start work early next year, an official has said.

Under the arrangement, Chitungwiza Municipality will only cater for accommodation and transport costs for the quartet while their salaries will be paid by the Cuban government.

Chitungwiza acting town clerk Dr Tonderai Kasu informed a full council meeting about the offer last week.

“We have had unsuccessful recruitment of doctors, but the Health and Child Care Ministry extended an offer of four Cuban doctors who will be paid by their Government,” he said.

“But as a municipality we will only cater for their accommodation and transport costs.”

The city officials gave a nod for the deal after management did a cost benefit analysis.

“Council accepts the offer of four doctors and that it provides them accommodation of a four bedroomed house in Harare,” said Dr Kasu.

“In terms of transport, that council allocates one vehicle and a council driver to ferry the doctors to and from work.”

Dr Kasu said Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo indicated that the doctors will be coming early next year. He said the cost of relying on the doctors was way cheaper than to hire new ones.

The local authority said the estimated total cost of transport and accommodation for the four doctors was $13 080 per month.

Council said the amount is about 36 percent of the actual cost of employing four local doctors.

Chitungwiza Progressive Residents’ Association secretary-general Mr Gift Kurupati applauded the move.

“We welcome the gesture from Government, it will help our council to provide primary health care to Chitungwiza residents,” he said. “We are the third largest urban settlement in Zimbabwe in terms of population, but we don’t have doctors in all the health institutions.”