HARARE – Government has extended the deadline to re-appoint former health workers back to service in a desperate bid to fill up the yawning manpower gap created by the exodus of the country’s health professionals for greener pastures.

The Health Services Board (HSB) has announced an addition of another six months to the initial six months window opened to re-hire those who had left the health sector.

“It is noted that the Board extended the waiver of reappointment for former health workers who need to re-join the service to Central hospitals Provincial Medical Directors for a period of six (6) months from 1 April 2022 to 30 September 2022.

“Please be advised that the waiver has been extended for a further period of six months from October 1, 2022, to 31 March 2023 to facilitate urgent appointments to fill vacant posts in institutions,” said the board in a letter addressed to all chief executive officers and provincial medical directors.

“However, the reappointment of the following categories shall be centralised at the Board; all former nurses applying to re-join the service, members who were discharged from service on grounds of misconduct, convicted criminals offence or terminated through medical grounds.

“In view of the above, Central hospitals and Provincial Medical Directors shall continue approving application for reappointment of the other grades as communicated in the before except the categories stated above. Institutions should thus submit applications for the above 2 categories to the board.”

HSB further directed the salary services bureau to accept reappointments authorised at stations with the above framework.

In an interview with ZimLive, Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo urged government to fix the country’s deteriorating health sector instead if it had genuine hopes of retaining critical medical professionals within the sector.

“The government should address the reasons why these people left the health sector in the first place, and these include poor remuneration and working conditions.

“If they manage to address these problems, they will be able to attract more workers.

“We, however, call upon all the former heath workers to consider coming back to work. In as much as the working environment is not conducive, it is the ordinary people who are suffering. They must come and serve their country,” he said.

The country’s health sector is facing an exodus of health professionals leaving largely to join the National Health Service, which is UK’s largest publicly funded health care system.

Statistics from HSB indicate that at least 2,200 nurses and doctors have left the country since last year.

Poor remuneration, lack of medical equipment and drugs in the health delivery system are the major reasons behind migration by skilled workers.