The MDC Alliance has fired a broadside at Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, for exhibiting “classic junta tendencies” when he summarily fired thousands of striking nurses.
The shock move, which saw about 14 000 nurses being dismissed after they defied a call by government to return to work, has led to a serious crisis in the health sector.
Some of the striking nurses have hit back at government and threatened to take their employer to court.
The opposition grouping said the mass dismissal of nurses poses a threat to the lives of patients at state hospitals.
“The sacking of thousands of nurses has devastating consequences, because it means that hospitals and clinics remain unmanned resulting in patients being the worst affected. It also means the affected nurses face the prospect of unemployment in a country whose unemployment rate is above 90 percent,” MDC Alliance spokesperson, Professor Welshman Ncube noted.
“As we see it, the only person that should have been fired for these recurring strikes is none other than the Health minister David Parirenyatwa, under whose watch the health sector has dilapidated over the last 13- years”.
Instead of firing nurses, Professor Ncube, said government should be engaging them “in respectful dialogue and coming up with long lasting solutions”.
Professor Ncube added: “Victimising the nurses for participating in the strike is the last thing a sober minded government should be doing. These dangerous political games Chiwenga is playing with citizens are ill advised and can only result in more chaos in our public health institutions across the country”.
The MDC leader urged voters to use their power to effect change in the country`s leadership.
“The people of Zimbabwe including those fired nurses, the suffering and dying patients across the entire country will speak very loud and clearly come voting day and send this military junta back to the barracks where they belong,” he charged.
