Health care workers in Zimbabwe have condemned the government’s plan to criminalize their recruitment by foreign nations, a measure intended to curb a medical brain drain. Vice President and Health Minister Constantino Chiwenga announced that a new law would make it illegal for other countries to hire Zimbabwean health professionals. The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights called any attempt to prevent workers from seeking better jobs abroad illegal. Its head, Dr. Norman Matara, told VOA on Friday that the proposal to criminalize foreign recruitment was “shocking.” He reminded listeners that the Zimbabwean constitution guarantees citizens the right to move freely within the country or to leave it. “We don’t know why those comments were made by the honorable Minister of Health,” Matara said, adding that the government continues to use scare tactics and a command approach to solve health‑care problems.
Chiwenga, who also serves as health minister, explained that the law aims to address the brain drain, describing deliberate foreign recruitment that leaves the country short of professionals as “a crime against humanity.” He warned that deaths in hospitals caused by a lack of nurses and doctors, and by foreign entities training their own staff at the expense of poor countries, must be taken seriously.
Matara stressed that health workers are leaving not because they are being pulled away, but because they are being pushed out by meager salaries, a worsening economic crisis, and poor working conditions. He cited shortages of equipment, sundries, and medicines in hospitals and urged the government to improve conditions and pay a living wage, arguing that this would reduce emigration.
Eustina Shava, a nurse who plans to leave Zimbabwe in May for a position in Canada, said leaving her home country is not her preference. “If we were being given enough money, I don’t think anybody would love to leave their families, their relatives and work abroad,” she said. “But at the end of the day, we all want to achieve good things in life. We want to buy houses, cars, and send our children to good schools. That’s why we turn to recruiters. They have done nothing wrong; they are actually helping us achieve certain things in life.”
Zimbabwe’s Health Services Board reported that more than 4,000 nurses have left the country since 2021. The Zimbabwe Medical Association notes that there are only 3,500 doctors for a population of nearly 16 million. Health‑care workers frequently strike over low pay and poor conditions. The government says it lacks funds for raises or better equipment and, in January, made it illegal for health workers to strike for more than three days. Reuters contributed to this report.
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