The government has announced that it will recruit 500 more nurses to beef up the country’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Acting Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said the recruitment of nurses is in view of the surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.
Muswere added that the government was in the process of reviewing the risk allowance for frontline workers. He said:
Five hundred new nursing posts are being created to augment staff complements at treatment centres.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, scores of health caregivers deserted public health institutions for the private sector citing potential exposure to the virus and poor remuneration.
Government officials have are so far issued conflicting statements on the state of the country’s health institutions with some saying they are overwhelmed while some say they are not.
Earlier this year, the secretary of Information, Nick Mangwana urged the citizenry to avoid contracting the coronavirus saying local institutions are overwhelmed.
The Minister of Health and Child Care, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga recently said the institutions were not overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo Provincial Medical Director, Dr Welcome Mlilo confirmed rapid response teams were now failing to cope with new infections.
