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Health sector faces massive brain drain
By: Loughty Dube
Zimbabwe Independent,
February 15, 2001
The health
delivery system is likely to suffer a heavy blow as a result of a massive
brain drain of nursing staff which has seen the country lose close to 20
000 specialised nurses to Britain and other Commonwealth countries last
year, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt.
Information released by Minister of Health and
Child Welfare Timothy Stamps indicates that 18 000 nurses had left for the
UK in the last 12 months.
Sources in the Ministry of Health said the figures
were much higher, as those quoted were mainly for nurses leaving for
Britain and discounted emigration to other countries like South Africa,
Australia and Canada.
Zimbabwean nurses were leaving the country in
droves citing poor remuneration and working conditions. Government this
week announced — too late for many — that it had reviewed the salary
scales and grades for health professionals in the Ministry of Health and
Child Welfare in a bid to stem the tide.
Britain last year announced plans to recruit more
than 21 000 nurses from other countries. Britain has a high number of
elderly infirm who require specialised nursing services. A source said
Zimbabwe was likely to face an acute shortage of intensive care and
midwifery staff as a result of the exodus.
“Unless the government introduces laws to stem
this exodus then the country has a disaster in the making,” said the
source.
Zimbabwe’s 30 000 nurses in both the private and
public sector had fallen prey to lucrative offers made by British nursing
agencies.
Stamps confirmed that the country was facing a
serious brain drain but was quick to say that his ministry was putting in
place measures that would ensure retention of staff.
“My ministry has devised means to retain staff
in the face of competitive salaries offered by the British but in the long
run stringent measures will be put in place to curtail the exodus,” said
Stamps.
The British National Health Service has been
targeting Commonwealth countries for human resources to complement growing
demand for nursing services at home.
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