“Zimbabwe's doctors are
voting on whether or not to stage a full-fledged strike, over salaries. Doctors
started casting their vote yesterday, with the majority said to be in favour of
a strike,” reported Bulawayo24.
The economic mess in
Zimbabwe has reached crisis point and beyond, if doctors do not go on strike
over this then one is compelled to ask what else has to happen to finally push
these doctors out of the white-coat complacence!
It is typical Zimbabwean
mentality to always go out of one’s way to avoid taking decisive action even
when the situation demands decisive action, in the vain hope that the situation
will cure itself without our intervention. All Zimbabwean workers, unemployed,
students, everyone should have been out on the streets years ago to demand
action over the country’s decades of economic collapse and yet the whole nation
has chosen to sit back and watch what happens!
Something has happened,
true enough; everything has got progressively worse and worse, year after year!
Unemployment has soared to 90% plus; the few lucky enough to still have a job
like the doctors are so poorly paid many have left their jobs and the country;
hospitals are so poorly funded they have no drugs; hospitals and homes have no
clean running water; 18 out of 24 hours power cuts are the norm; etc.; etc.
This regime has ears but
has not been listening; it has eyes but has failed to perceive anything. The
country’s economic problems are a result of decades of gross mismanagement and
rampant corruption; the chickens in their billions like red-billed quelea have finally
come home to roost. It is the duty of every citizen to ensure those in power
listen and take appropriate action to address problems before they get out of
hand.
Mismanagement and corruption
are man-made problems and therefore within the powers of the people to solve.
If the people had been more diligent then these economic problems would have
never got out of hand. Sitting at home and doing nothing has clearly failed to
draw the regime’s attention; if the only way to get this regime’s attention is
going on strike then so be it!
Today Zimbabwe's economic
situation has gone beyond crisis point, it is socially and politically unsustainable,
and per se demands that immediate action is taken to draw the regime's
attention to this reality. Strike action is no longer an option, it is the only
choice.
Twenty years ago when
Zimbabwe’s economy showed all the signs of slowing under the strain of
mismanagement and corruption and the people elected to do nothing it was the equivalent
a doctor giving a patient with a broken leg painkillers and send him back home
- it relieved the pain but will not fix the broken leg! The punched wound even showed signs of
healing although the patient continued to complain of pain and thus never
stopped taking the painkillers.
Today the patient is back, the leg wound has ruptured to reveal the reason why the patient had need the painkillers; the wound was healing on the outside whilst deep inside the rot continued. Gangrene has set in. With diligent attention the leg would have been saved, now there is nothing for it but to amputate.
For the doctors to vote
not to go on strike is no different from the doctor who failed to treat the
broken leg properly and allowing the gangrene to set in giving the patient painkillers
once again; if that is not professional negligence, then I do not know what is!
The economic situation demands strike action; if not then please tell me what
else has to happen to warrant strike action!?
Zimbabwe’s political and economic situation is man-made and
it is the responsibility of all Zimbabweans, doctors and nurses, workers and
vendors, everyone to demand that this Zanu PF regime attends to the worsening national
crisis before it is too late. If going on strike can stop the complete collapse
of our health system then sure the strike is long overdue because our health
system is already in ICU right now!
The fact that Zimbabweans have often seen themselves as powerless and therefore can do nothing to change their situation especially to change government policy on anything is deeply regrettable. We have become such a subservient people that even the highly qualified people like doctors and other professionals always defied to whatever government said regardless who wrong the policy happened to be.
ReplyDeleteIf someone as learned as a doctor cannot see that Zimbabwe's economic and political situation has reached a very dangerous point and must be change a.s.a.p. then who will? The doctors will go on strike demanding better salary but also will be expecting government to be offering solutions to the nation's economic problems because a wage increase without a plan for economic growth would be an empty promise.
There is a crying need for Zimbabweans from all walks to start thinking about how to rescue the nation from the mess it is in because this is not going to happen without their active involvement. The situation demands of us all to crawl out of our comfort zone and play our part or the whole nation is doomed!