HARARE, May 29 (NewsDay Live) — Zimbabwe has approved 8,785 new health worker posts for 2026 and pledged to double its health workforce by 2030, even as nurses who staged a nationwide strike five weeks ago over low pay say their core grievances remain unresolved.
Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora announced the plans at the Human Resources for Health Dialogue Meeting in Harare on Wednesday, where Deputy Finance Minister Kudakwashe Mnangagwa confirmed that Treasury had already filled about 3,700 of the 5,284 health posts approved for 2025.
Mombeshora said Zimbabwe was committed to doubling its health workforce by 2030 under the Health Workforce Investment Compact. The programme seeks to create and sustain 32,000 new posts, cut attrition by 50% and increase annual training output to at least 7,000 graduates.
He urged authorities to accelerate recruitment, saying approved positions must be filled quickly to improve service delivery.
Government also unveiled an US$11.8 million retention package targeting rural health workers through accommodation support and career development programmes.
The announcements come against the backdrop of lingering tensions in the public health sector. Public sector nurses staged a nationwide strike from April 20 to 22 after the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) said salary adjustments made in April failed to address their concerns.
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ZINA said nurses received increases of between US$30 and US$40, which it described as a token adjustment that fell short of expectations raised during negotiations with government.
The association maintains that nurses’ salaries remain far below the cost of living and do not reflect the demands of the profession. Many nurses reportedly earn less than US$300 a month.
Government’s own figures highlight the financial pressures facing the sector. Mombeshora has acknowledged that health funding remains below the 15% target set under the Abuja Declaration, with only 9.8% of Zimbabwe’s national budget allocated to health in 2024.
Zimbabwe adopted the Abuja commitment in 2001 but has consistently fallen short of the benchmark.
The challenge extends beyond recruitment to retention. Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe recently revealed that more than 35,900 Zimbabweans were granted United Kingdom work visas between June 2023 and June 2024, most of them taking up healthcare-related jobs.
Meeting the country’s health workforce targets will require substantial investment. Government estimates show that US$1.63 billion is needed between 2024 and 2026, with a further US$475 million required to achieve broader compact objectives.
Despite Wednesday’s announcements, no public commitment was made on nurses’ outstanding salary demands. ZINA had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
With Zimbabwe targeting upper-middle-income status by 2030 under Vision 2030, Mombeshora has repeatedly stressed that a strong healthcare workforce will be critical to achieving that goal. The unresolved question remains whether the country can retain enough health professionals to deliver that vision.