HARARE City Council is pleading with its nurses to return to work while a solution to their problems is being sought to avoid loss of lives.
BY MOSES MATENGA
Council nurses have not been going to work since last week citing incapacitation as the economy continues to plunge.
“Council is actively engaging the representatives of striking nurses to find each other. The city wants all its health institutions to resume operations and deliver services to the people,” council spokesperson Michael Chideme said.
“At the moment, we are operating with skeletal staff ranging between 40 and 44 per day, which is almost 30% of required staff per day. Most affected areas are maternity and outpatients for chronic cases. The worst time is at night because most midwives are not reporting for night duty.”
He said council had to scale down operations, a situation that has seen only six out of 12 polyclinics operating 24 hours.
“We have moved admissions to Beatrice Road (Infectious Diseases Hospital) because there are no night nurses at Wilkins. We are still talking to the leadership of the nurses to find each other so that we resume serving the people of Harare,” Chideme said.
