Zimbabwe’s coronavirus frontline nurses have been paid a measly ZW$700 as allowances for working since the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic in the country two months ago.
The money is insignificant considering the risks the health caregivers are exposed to on a daily basis and also considering that the local currency is constantly losing value against other currencies.
The soaring inflation in the country is also worsening the plight of workers who say that their salaries are constantly being eroded. One of the nurses who spoke to The Zimbabwe Independent this week said:
We received the money two days later and we got ZW$700 plus our salary which was ZW$3 000. We are living in fear and anxiety. We took care of the late patients and have come into contact with other positive patients. These times are really difficult, we have worked even during outbreaks of other diseases such as cholera, but this time it is difficult because we are not receiving monetary support. Previously, we would get US$30 per day.
These paltry allowances are paid amid reports that nurses are resigning en masse from public health institutions over poor remuneration, extended working hours and potential exposure to coronavirus.
More: The Zimbabwe Independent