Will this Strike have an Impact?

In recent news, doctors in Zimbabwe strike against poor conditions in hospitals. These poor conditions have caused what some may call a silent genocide. The strike that many medics are participating in has the potential of worsening the delivery of health services in Zimbabwe’s public hospitals. 

These doctors are striking against their poor working conditions, poor salaries, and the firing of over 435 junior medical officers by the government. The Senior Hospital Doctors Association (SHDA), a group of doctors and specialists, had remained at the country's hospitals on duty, as many junior doctors participated in a boycott in September for higher pay, announced the strike in a move that is set to aggravate the country's already depleting health conditions. Junior Allison Brown said, “The fact that these doctors have to strike for things that are needed to save people is absurd.” 

The Senior Hospital Doctors Association described the dwindling situations at the country’s hospitals as a silent genocide, stating that these doctors are being forced to work without sanitary basics needed in a hospital such as bandages, gloves, and syringes. How are these doctors able to save people without spreading other bacterial infections due to the absence of sanitation? 

The situations in this country’s hospitals will continue to deteriorate until the doctor’s voices are heard. It is important to wonder why there has been no change whatsoever since march. The dire conditions were said to be publicly announced last March, but still, there has not been even the slightest change. Junior, Kieran Tully said, “How are patients able to get better if these hospitals aren’t even sanitary?” The members of these hospitals could no longer handle these deteriorating conditions, so they went on strike. They wanted a change for their country and their practice. When interviewing Maya Salzman, she said, “It’s so important to have people fight and strike against these terrible conditions.”  

How would you feel if you were sick in a hospital and the only medication they were able to give you would only worsen your sickness? People want to feel safe and secure when they enter hospitals, thinking that they will be saved, but in places like Zimbabwe people are no longer able to feel this reassurance from hospitals.