No Poaching

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Zimbabwe is planning to ban the recruitment of its health workers by other countries, a move aimed at tackling a shortage of personnel as the southern African nation experiences a worsening economic situation, Africanews reported Thursday.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga announced the bill this week, saying that the loss of healthcare professionals was comparable to human trafficking.

“If one deliberately recruits and makes the country suffer, that’s a crime against humanity,” said Chiwenga, who is also Zimbabwe’s health minister. “People are dying in hospitals because there are no nurses and doctors. That must be taken seriously.”

Local media said more than 4,000 health workers have left the country since February 2021. The Zimbabwe Medical Association estimated that there are about 3,500 doctors in a country with a population of 15 million people.

For many doctors and nurses, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service has been an attractive destination because the pay is far higher than in Zimbabwe.

Still, last month Britain halted the recruitment of Zimbabwean health staff after the World Health Organization placed Zimbabwe on the red list of countries facing serious health personnel challenges.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing an economic crisis marked by rising inflation, which has resulted in considerable salary reductions.