The Minister of Health and Child Care, Douglas Mombeshora, has revealed that 20 nursing trainees have been dismissed from Government and mission training institutions over the past five years after they were found to have used forged Ordinary Level certificates.
Speaking during Wednesday’s question-and-answer session in the National Assembly, Mombeshora said the dismissals followed verification audits, which uncovered several cases of academic fraud. He said:
“The prevalence of fraudulent certificates over the past five years was 14 for registered general nurses (RGNs) and six for primary care nurses (PCNs).”
The audit identified 14 Registered General Nurses (RGNs) who had submitted forged credentials. The highest number of cases was recorded at Mpilo Central Hospital and Chitungwiza Central Hospital, which each had three cases, while Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals recorded two.
The remaining cases were reported at Morgenster Mission Hospital, Gutu Mission Hospital, Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, Bonda Mission Hospital, St Theresa Mission Hospital and Muvonde Mission Hospital, which each recorded one case.
The audit also uncovered six Primary Care Nurses (PCNs) who had submitted forged Ordinary Level certificates.
Silveira Mission Hospital recorded the highest number of cases, with three trainees found to have submitted fraudulent credentials.
The other three cases were reported at Murambinda Mission Hospital, Bonda Mission Hospital and Sanyati Mission Hospital, with each facility recording one case.
Mombeshora said the recruitment process includes an initial vetting stage where human resources officers inspect the original certificates presented by shortlisted candidates.
However, he conceded that physical inspection alone may not always detect sophisticated forgeries. Said Mombeshora:
“During interviews, shortlisted candidates are asked to bring original O-Level certificates, which are checked by human resources (HR) officers.
“However, HR officers may not be able to detect forged certificates. When successful candidates report for training, their certificates are sent to ZIMSEC (Zimbabwe School Examinations Council) for verification, and the candidate pays a fee of US$7 for each certificate.”
Mombeshora added that once a candidate is confirmed to have submitted a forged certificate, the matter is referred to the police, with any penalties determined by the courts.
He said the respective school of nursing then carries out its own review through the Ministry of Health and Child Care assessment committee, after which the student is dismissed for submitting fraudulent certificates.
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