The health sector in Zimbabwe continues to crumble amid revelations that the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare are in a deadlock with junior doctors and nurses at major referral hospitals who went on strike at the festive season.

The medical personnel in Harare and Bulawayo downed their tools on December 20th to press for a salary hike and improved conditions of service.

Although representatives of the junior doctors and nurses have so far held a series of meetings with the responsible ministry, sources close to the development indicated that the two had failed to reach a consensus on proposed figures.

A survey carried by The Zimbabwe Gazette revealed that patients were spending many hours in queues, as the senior personnel who are at work are inadequate.

In Harare, patients were in some cases turned away during the initial stages of the strike, as there was no one to attend to them. Many of them were forced to turn to private hospitals where fees are pegged at astronomical levels.

The Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa, yesterday confirmed the strike.

He said the Health Services Board was negotiating with the medical practitioners in a bid to resolve the impasse.

"As Government we are always looking at ways of improving the conditions of service of all health workers not only in hospitals, but also in clinics," said Dr Parirenyatwa.

"That is why we have the Health Services Board which is already negotiating with the health professionals to resolve the matter."

They also blamed authorities for failing to award them meaningful salary advances and accommodation as they had promised, which the doctors said they were still to get by yesterday afternoon.

"So far only three junior medical officers have been accommodated out of 30 doctors. The management had promised that at least 10 doctors would be accommodated by November," read part of the circular.

After doctors downed tools, nurses also joined in citing the same grievances.

The strike has now entered its third week and has seen only emergency and critical cases being attended to by primary care nurses and members of the uniformed forces.

"Due to the indefinite job action crippling our system we have resorted to attending only to very critical patients. We advise patients to go to primary health centres until things normalise," read part of the notice dated December 20th.

Student nurses and members of the uniformed forces have been called to assist in the pending chaos but the situation at the hospitals has not improved.

Dr Parirenyatwa said the uniformed forces would continue to provide services until the salary dispute is resolved. Patients interviewed last week urged Government to find a lasting solution to the perennial strikes in the health services sector.

They said it was critical for the two parties to work out viable salary review packages and intervals for the reviews.

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