The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has urged the government to address the concerns of striking doctors instead of threatening them.
In a statement ZADHR said:
ZADHR, therefore, calls upon the Ministry of Health and Child Care to urgently improve the conditions of work for health professionals instead of issuing threats of ostracisation and victimisation and to ensure that essential drugs and medicines are provided in all public health institutions
These sentiments were also echoed by opposition group, MDC-T. The Morgan Tsvangirai-led opposition said that doctors have the right to go on strike to demonstrate against poor working conditions. The MDC-T also condemned the alleged intimidation and harassment of striking doctors by state agents and spoke out against, the excesses of top government officials who go for treatment outside the country while deliberately shunning local health services.
Obert Gutu, the MDC-T, national spokesperson said:
At a time when President Robert Mugabe and members of his inner circle always travel to Singapore, India and some other such far – way places for the purpose of seeking their personal medical treatment, the Zanu PF regime is showing complete and utter disregard for the plight of our striking medical doctors
Instead, we have since gathered reports to the effect that the striking medical doctors are now being threatened and victimised by State agents. This is a most reprehensible and despicable act being perpetrated by a cruel, insensitive, selfish and insipidly corrupt regime in the form of the clueless and visionless Zanu PF administration.
Doctors went on strike on Wednesday and up till now, the deadlock with government is yet to be resolved.
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