Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Health professionals working in the country’s various institutions have accused the government of concealing correct COVID-19 statistics in a bid to give a false impression that the infamous virus is under control, Newsday reports.
According to health professionals, a lot of them are testing positive for the virus and some institutions are being closed for that reason.
Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo has said they do not even have the statistics of nurses who tested positive for COVID-19 and this could mean some of them are spreading the virus to some people:
We don’t have statistics of how many nurses nationally have been infected and affected by COVID-19. They (government) don’t want to give us that (statistics).
When we talk of COVID-19, everyone with a problem converges at a hospital. The same health workers exposed to COVID-19 use Zupco buses on their way home, they use the same supermarkets with the rest of the people, and they go home to interact with tenants and family.
You find that health workers are now the super spreaders of COVID-19, and without addressing the issue of protecting health workers through reducing the hours spent at hospitals and giving them proper PPEs, we are not going to succeed in controlling COVID-19.
To make matter worse, even private health institutions are also neglecting their workers according to a member of the Medical Workers Union:
We lost one of our nurses on Sunday and the majority of workers are testing positive to COVID-19. Employers are refusing to pay COVID-19 allowances.
The majority of centres are now taking COVID-19 patients, but are refusing to pay workers’ allowances. The issue of medication for workers who test positive is also an issue of concern. The employers are not taking care of them
Zimbabwe is expected to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from China soon but the government is yet to announce a rollout program for the country. Last week a health official said vaccination priority will be given to MPs, members of the security forces, ministers, and frontline workers.
More: Newsday
