Zimbabwe has passed a law prohibiting long-term strikes by health professionals including nurses and doctors.
The law further imposes fines or up to six months in jail for rebellious employees or union leaders, according to state-run media and a government spokesman.
The President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, signed the clause into law last week, but it was only made public on Wednesday.
It states that because health workers are regarded as an essential service, they are only allowed to go on strike for up to three days.
A government spokesman, Nick Mangwana, also stated that medical personnel should continue offering emergency treatments while on strike.
Other nations, like Zambia and South Africa, who are neighbors, limit health workers’ ability to strike but impose milder sanctions instead, like dismissals, work suspensions, or salary reductions.
Zimbabwe’s public health facilities, which are already in poor shape due to crumbling infrastructure and pharmaceutical shortages, have been put under duress for years by frequent and weeks-long strikes by health workers.
Public health professionals also claim that their low pay, which for many is around ZW 361,000 ($100) per month, and lack of necessary supplies make their job impossible.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions further estimates that 90 percent of the people in the country are unemployed.
Zimbabwe which formerly had some of the best public healthcare facilities and employees in the South African region, is now dealing with a brain drain as nurses and doctors leave for better jobs abroad, primarily in the United Kingdom.
