{"id":53046,"date":"2022-01-15T20:17:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-15T18:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/?p=53046"},"modified":"2022-01-15T20:17:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-15T18:17:54","slug":"firefighters-join-nurses-in-leaving-zimbabwe-for-better-pay-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/firefighters-join-nurses-in-leaving-zimbabwe-for-better-pay-abroad","title":{"rendered":"Firefighters join nurses in leaving Zimbabwe for better pay abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>AL JAZEERA<\/p>\n

HARARE:<\/b><\/p>\n

Samuel Chikengezha, a 35-year-old fireman, sits on a sofa in his modest home, staring at the television set while he stresses over how he\u2019ll make ends meet this month.<\/p>\n

He has not yet paid school fees for his three children, he said \u2013 one of many financial challenges he faces because the money he pulls in as a first responder in Zimbabwe has not kept pace with inflation for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI survive on borrowings from friends and family to get by as the money is barely enough,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

Like many of his colleagues, Chikengezha reckons the solution to his financial woes is to leave Zimbabwe for a higher-paying job abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to leave the country. Every one of us wants to leave for other countries. We are all in waiting mode, really,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce an opportunity presents itself, I am out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe\u2019s economy was already on its knees before the pandemic struck, and COVID-19 has only made things worse.<\/p>\n

Salaries are stagnant, foreign currency is in short supply, and the purchasing power of the Zimbabwean dollar continues to erode, with annual inflation topping 60 percent at the close of last year. Manufacturing is low, and poverty is rising along with prices for everything, including essentials like food and fuel.<\/p>\n

Now the economic carnage is threatening essential public services by triggering a massive brain drain in critical sectors.<\/p>\n

Harare City Council, which runs the Zimbabwean capital\u2019s fire department, said the city lost 125 firefighters last year.<\/p>\n

Council spokesperson Innocent Ruwende told Al Jazeera that they left to chase more lucrative jobs overseas, mostly in Middle East Gulf states.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur firefighters are in demand because they are highly trained,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The allure of a more lucrative, more stable payday abroad is an enticing proposition for Chikengezha, who currently brings home $200 a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cEntry salaries [abroad] are somewhere in the region of $1,300-$1,500,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

t\u2019s not just firefighters who are chasing bigger paycheques. Brain drain is also roiling Zimbabwe\u2019s healthcare sector. With the pandemic increasing demand for healthcare workers around the globe, Zimbabwe lost some 2,000 healthcare professionals last year, according to state media. That is more than double the exodus rate of 2020.<\/p>\n

The President of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association, Enock Dongo, told Al Jazeera that poor remuneration and working conditions are compelling more nurses to seek positions outside of the troubled Southern African nation, where nurses earn less than $200 a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe salaries of nurses in Zimbabwe are too low. Even when compared to peers in the Southern African region, Zimbabwean nurses are the least paid,\u201d Dongo told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

He also noted that a lack of personal protective equipment has made conditions for nurses in Zimbabwe \u201creally dangerous\u201d.<\/p>\n

As the number of firefighters dwindles, a public outcry has ensued, accusing the first responders of poor services.<\/p>\n

In November, Harare\u2019s fire department was heavily criticised over a penthouse blaze that cost the life of investment banker Douglas Munatsi.<\/p>\n

Acting Chief Fire Officer Clever Mafoti defended the performance of the fire department, saying trees had prevented aerial ladders from being deployed to rescue Munatsi on the ninth floor.<\/p>\n

And while Mafoti acknowledges that an exodus of firefighters is having an impact, he insists the service is still there for the people of Harare when it counts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ability to execute our duties has been ailing or diminishing but we are still able to fulfill our duties,\u201d he told Al Jazeera. \u201cWe have not reached a stage where we have failed to discharge our duties and just let people\u2019s properties burn to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Mafoti said financial constraints are taking a toll beyond personnel shortages \u2013 specifically with ageing fire trucks.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The city] council has promised us some vehicles, but as you know, this is normally a process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On the healthcare front, pregnant women in Glen View and Budiriro, both high-density suburbs south of Harare, no longer have antenatal care at specialty clinics because there are no nurses on staff to provide those services.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpecially trained nurses such as antenatal ones have left to look for better opportunities elsewhere,\u201d said Harare City Council spokesperson Ruwende, adding that he\u2019s looking for partners to provide funding in United States dollars to hire increasingly scarce talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople prefer to earn US dollars and they are refusing our offers for jobs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. AL JAZEERA HARARE: Samuel Chikengezha, a 35-year-old fireman, sits on a sofa in his modest home, staring at the television set while he stresses over how he\u2019ll make ends meet this month. He has not yet paid school fees for his three children, he said \u2013 one of many financial challenges he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":53045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,35,12,15],"tags":[1493,2189,19],"class_list":["post-53046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-policy","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zimbabwe-2","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nFirefighters join nurses in leaving Zimbabwe for better pay abroad - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/firefighters-join-nurses-in-leaving-zimbabwe-for-better-pay-abroad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Firefighters join nurses in leaving Zimbabwe for better pay abroad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. 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