HARARE – First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa made an unexpected intervention on Friday in an attempt to break a strike for better pay and improved working conditions by doctors which entered its 35th day.
She met representatives of junior doctors whose industrial action has left patients stranded in deserted hospitals which have also cancelled emergency operations after specialist doctors also joined the strike in solidarity.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa earlier this week said he had cut short his annual leave to attend to the crisis. His deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, who has been the Acting President, has taken a hard-line stance by threatening to sack all the striking doctors – angering other trade unions who issued a joint statement on Thursday stating that “injury to one is injury to all”.
Mnangagwa’s wife said after the meeting that the doctors had agreed to go back to work while their grievances are being looked into, but this was immediately disputed by the doctors.
“The meeting went very well. They said to me ‘mother, things are tough but we’re going back to work’. They asked that some things that can be done immediately be done, like helping them with bus fare to get to work. They also emphasised that equipment and drugs that become available should be quickly dispatched to the hospitals, including the outlying areas, so that we improve the working conditions while we nurse our economy back to life,” she said, speaking at State House where the meeting was held behind closed doors.
She went on: “As you know, I care a lot about the health sector, the well-being of our people and I’m delighted that they’ve said they’re going back to work. On my side, I will go back to the President, now representing our doctors, and say the children have come to the mother and this is what they said, let’s do that which can be done.”
But briefing striking doctors at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Dr Elias Muzoremba, the leader of the junior doctors, said the meeting with Mnangagwa’s wife had been “inconclusive”. He however struck an upbeat tone, saying the President’s Office had scheduled another meeting which was due to take place on Friday afternoon.
In his briefing to a few dozen gathered doctors, Muzoremba told them: “Today, we were invited to the State House and we met with the First Lady. She wanted to hear our side of the story and possibly map a way forward because there hasn’t been a smooth flow of information from us to the higher offices. We’re being labelled as unreasonable… all sorts of things. Now they are beginning to appreciate our side of the story, to see that we’re actually reasonable people; we’re willing to negotiate but the employer (Health Services Board) hasn’t been forthcoming; the employer has been labelling us hot-headed and all sorts of things.
“So, this was not a conclusive meeting, it’s not something that is legally-binding but the First Lady took her time to listen to us. Now she’s going to persuade the higher authorities to act in our favour, they want to resolve this impasse as soon as possible.”
He said they had received communication from the President’s Office “to say that they’re going to try and resolve this thing as soon as possible, possibly today.”
“They want to bring this to an end. They’ve encouraged everyone to get out of the fighting mode; they’re saying let’s negotiate in good terms. They’re aware of the Health Services Board disciplinary hearings, they said ‘don’t go, we’re aware, it’s okay’. There’s nothing whatsoever to be concerned about.”
Hundreds of junior doctors in public hospitals across Zimbabwe withdrew their services on December 1 demanding salaries in US dollars, an increase in on-call allowances and an improvement in drug supplies and provision of functional equipment.
Negotiations have so far hit a brick wall with the government insisting it has no capacity to pay salaries in US dollars.
