BVTA deeply concerned by striking doctors’ effects

Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) is deeply concerned by  effects of the doctors’ strike that has entered week two with no solution in sight to innocent souls in hospitals. Patients are seen succumbing to diseases that could have been avoided had the government reacted swiftly to the crisis.

We are deeply saddened by seemingly intransigence of the government that is now issuing threats such as directing heads of departments to freeze salaries of doctors not at work according to Chronicle Newspaper of 22 March 2018.  We feel that this will not help because doctors will simple be on duty to witness the death of patients not offering any services since their grievances have not been met.

As a vendors association whose majority of our members are women, we feel very disappointed that the government is not prioritising health matters especially having contingency measures to expecting mothers and those in emergency situations.

BVTA urges the government to immediately resolve this crisis that has befallen the country. We remind the government of shocking statistics that a total of 1.7 million Zimbabweans died from July 2013 to date according to Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede, when he appeared at the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defense and Home affairs to answer questions on issuance of identity and travel documents. Our considered view is that some of these deaths could have been avoided had the government prioritised health instead of putting funds in defence as if the country is preparing for war. “Who will carry the weapons to war when expecting mothers suffer miscarriages in hospitals and over 12% of the population has died within 4 years?

We remind the government that it has a duty to provide health care as espoused in Section (76) Subsection (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which states that “Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic-health care services, including reproductive health-care services.” Subsection (2) states that, “ Every person living with a chronic illness has the right to have access to basic health-care services to the illness, therefore the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within the limits of the resources available to it.

We urge the Ministry of Health and other responsible authorities, to respond quickly to the doctors’ needs, so that normalcy returns to our hospitals.

We implore government to expedite dialogue with striking doctors, find a lasting solution before more souls are lost.

We also urge concerned Civil Society Organizations to mount pressure on government to declare this a national disaster as threats to doctors will yield catastrophic results.

 

Contact details: Fourth floor, Suite 406, Fidelity Life Building.

Fife Street and 11th Avenue.

Email: bulawayovendors@gmail.com

Website: www.bvtatrust.org

Phone: +263 713 635 908/ +263 88644210108

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