FORTY FOUR aggrieved aspiring nursing students have taken Harare Central Hospital and the Health Ministry to court challenging a decision to nullify their training programme under unclear circumstances.
Wellington Zunga and 43 others recently filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court challenging ministry officials’ decision to terminate their training abruptly.
Cited as respondents in the application is the Harare Central Hospital management and board, the hospital’s chief executive, Tinashe Dhobbie and Health Minister, Obadiah Moyo.
Zunga argued that the cancellation of their offer letters had no reasonable justification because the other prospective students who were offered places at the same time with the applicants, had started training.
“The respondents intend to recruit other prospective students despite being aware that the applicants have been offered places already at Harare Central Hospital. All the applicants qualify and meet the requirements of recruitment and there is no reasonable cause to cancel the recruitment of the applicants,” read the application.
Zunga said they were seeking a declaration that the decision by the respondents not to enrol them be declared unlawful.
“It is unreasonable and was carried out in an unfair manner. The matter is urgent as the respondents have already advertised for the January 2020 intake in the Sunday Mail publication of November 24 2019 meaning that they are recruiting other people instead of us,” they argue.
Zunga and his colleagues are suspecting the sudden changes are due to corruption within the institution.
“The applicants further seek a consequential relief setting aside the whole decision by the respondents of not enrolling them for nurse training for the period May 2019 and September 2019 and enrol applicants for their nurse training for January.
“Sudden cancellation of the offer letters by the respondents without giving any reasons or notice allowing us to make representations is a clear and blatant violation of the Administration of Justice. The decision to cancel was itself grossly unbearable and negates out legitimate expectations.”
