Govt Bans Medical Trips

Vice President and health minister, Constantino Chiwenga says government has with immediate effect banned medical treatment from outside the country for everyone as this has been causing a short fall of foreign currency in the country.

Addressing journalists in Harare, the Vice President said patients will no longer be referred to foreign medical facilities and this new law is for everybody including ministers.

“We will not export our patients. We will not make referrals (to foreign medical facilities) for our patients. It’s everybody,” he said.

“Ministers are only about 20 but those who have been going out it’s you, you, me, altogether. That export bill was too high and that’s what we want to curtail. We want to do away with that, and it requires us to carry out restructuring from the village health worker right up to the quaternary hospital.”

VP Chiwenga was  appointed as a health minister last month, taking over from Obadiah Moyo.

The Vice president said government will be announcing housing and vehicle loans as part of conditions of service for health workers  by offering whats is called “health specific allowance” so that the doctors and nurses may return back to work.

“We expect all grievances to be resolved amicably through discussion without endangering patients’ lives,” he said.

Doctors and nurses at public hospitals have been on strike for over two months now demanding pay raise and better working conditions in this covid 19 pandemic.

Yeukai is a professional and experienced journalist, broadcaster & writer.

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