Zanu PF replacing well-trained but ill-paid (US$40 month) doctors with ill-trained and ill-paid (US$1 month) midwives P Guramatunhu

Zimbabwe's health care services is all but dead as many doctors and nurses have stopped going to work because government has refused to pay them a living wage. Young doctors are paid a mere US$40 per month in a country with the poverty datum line set at US$650 per month! 

"Government announced a move to open Edith Operman Maternity Clinic for pregnant mothers in Mbare. It also announced the training of those nyamukutas (community midwifes) who helpfully support those who delivers at home. Pregnancy and motherhood are known to be beautiful experiences.” Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of information Nick Mangwana has announced.

There five notable points here:

1. these are ill-equipped, ill-trained and ill-paid midwives and no expectant mother would use their services if the hospital with well-equipped and well-trained staff was there.

1. Government must pay these community midwives because well-trained or not everyone should be paid for their services. If doctors are paid US$40 per month one can only imagine what this government will be paying these midwives! From this regime, these midwives will be very lucky to be paid US$1 per month! 

1. Is government going to train community health workers to take care of all the other aliments? Right now there are hundreds of thousands of people out there suffering and even dying of simple and easily treatable aliments like high blood pressure and malaria but are not taking any medicine because they have no clue what to do. 

1. If a government cannot provide its people even the most basic health care service, then the regime must admit failure and step down. 

1. The Zanu PF regime rigged last year’s elections, it has no mandate to govern and it is an outrage that the regime imposed itself on the nation only to preside over the complete collapse of the nation’s health care service causing heartbreak and easily avoided suffering and deaths! Zanu PF is holding this nation to ransom and that is treason of the worst order!