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Abigail Mawonde Herald Correspondent
GOVERNMENT yesterday struck a deal with doctors, nurses and other workers in the health sector, effectively ending an industrial action that had seen patients suffering. Talks via the Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel (HSBNP) forum culminated in the signing of a collective bargaining agreement offering additional benefits to health workers as from next month.

The Health Services Board confirmed the development in a statement last night.

“In view of the adverse impact on the delivery of public health services occasioned by the industrial action by some health workers, this statement serves to update the nation at large and the citizens affected that the Government, through the Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel (HSBNP) forum, has signed a Collective Bargaining agreement offering the following additional benefits to the health workers with effect from 1 April 2018,” said the board.

“On-call, night duty and standby/Call allowances have been reviewed by 50 percent, while a Post Basic allowance for nursing staff who acquire approved additional qualifications up to a maximum of two qualifications has been reintroduced.”

Government also attended to other concerns by the health workers.

“Government has also introduced a Nurse Managers Allowance in recognition of the added responsibility,” added the HSB.

The HSB urged all health workers who had withdrawn their services to report for duty immediately.

Doctors went on strike at the beginning of this month demanding that Government must address their grievances.

Highlights of their grievances submitted to Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa, through a letter dated February 5, 2018 by the Zimbabwe Hospitals Doctors Association (ZHDA), included locum payments, motor vehicle scheme, availability of equipment and medicines at hospitals, staff establishment and review of various allowances.

At the time Government said it had been attending to the issues with most of them having been addressed at an Extraordinary BNP meeting on February 16, 2018.

These included the need for ensuring continuity of health services through the issuance of a revised Locum Policy Circular Number 1 of 2018 covering all health workers in January 2018 that should improve the management of locum and, therefore, ensure availability of staff at all times.

Payment started reflecting on the February 2018 payroll.

It was also agreed that due to the essential nature of health services, some critical staff may be required to report for duty at odd hours.

“BNP agreed to a scheme to address the transport requirements for health-workers,” read the joint statement.

“Following this agreement, Government recently allocated US$10million for the operationalisation of the scheme. This information was communicated to the ZHDA representatives at the Extraordinary BNP meeting of 16 February 2018. It is Government position that doctors’ posts have never been frozen.

“The ZHDA representatives were informed at the BNP meeting of 13 February 2018 that posts are available for the uptake of all doctors completing internship in 2018. Government is aware that 160 doctors will be completing their internship in 2018.”

There are 235 vacancies for Government medical officers and hospital medical officers nationwide.

At the BNP meeting of February 13, 2018, Government advised workers’ representatives of plans to unfreeze critical vacant posts of other health cadres.

Consultations were also underway to identify the critical posts.

The employer claimed there was no deadlock as alleged by the health workers.

Government also contended that although general service provision remained less than the desired optimum, it had provided essential equipment and sundries through various channels, including its own recurrent and capital budget, US$100 million Chinese loan facility for equipment, support through the Global Fund, UNFPA, JICA, USAID/CDC, Health Development Fund and other partners.