The International media has been told by the a Zimbabwean nurse that they are the “poorest of the poorest” globally and in the southern African.
Douglas Chikobvu said he and his colleagues were paid a “pittance” given Zimbabwe’s high inflation and that he had attempted to leave the country in search of greener pastures.
His comments come as Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga wants to make it a criminal offence for recruitment agencies to poach health workers from Zimbabwe.
He says his country should not be subjected to training doctors and nurses for the benefit of other nations.
However, his proposed legislation has been met with anger and frustration.
Mr Chikobvu said the workload at Zimbabwean hospitals was immense and warned that basic “tools” to do a job like medicine and personal protective equipment were lacking.
He said his ideal country to relocate to would be the US, where he believes nurses are valued, or the UK, where he says medical professionals can work “nicely”.
Zimbabwe’s government says it doesn’t have enough funds for salary hikes or better equipment.