Published: 12 May 2018

GOVERNMENT has reneged on the agreement it entered with the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) which saw their on call allowances being increased to $1 200 in March.

According to NewZimbabwe.com, the increase followed a protracted job action by junior doctors, later joined by their seniors and nurses as the situation got dire while government was unyielding to the demands for better pay.

Nurses have also been affected, according a statement from the doctors.

The ZHDA information desk described the "unilateral" move by the employer, through the Health Services Board (HSB), to cut the allowances as "criminal".

"However to our dismay, the Health Services Board has unilaterally imposed a slash on these, thereby violating that agreement. This is a direct effort meant to sabotage the health care and criminally award themselves a new allowance known as special medical allowance," said the organisation in a statement on Friday.

"This allowance has been put at par with our on call allowance and is being awarded to non-clinical staff in the HSB secretariat who have office day jobs and work 8 hours a day.

"The funds to pay for this have been deducted from doctors, nurses and other clinical staff nationwide."

This comes less than a month after vice president Chiwenga sacked all nurses in government hospitals only to rehire them as he sought to end a crippling strike over conditions of service.
- newzimbabwe

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