Government to recruit 7 000 health practitioners ...

Government to recruit 7 000 health practitioners by 2030

Oscar J. Jeke

Zim Now Reporter

Government has approved the Health Workforce Strategy 2023-2030 and the Health Workforce Investment Compact 2024-2026, which aim to significantly increase recruitment and training in the health sector.

The target is to boost annual recruitment from 3,334 in 2022 to 7,000 by 2030. This initiative also includes plans for the development and rehabilitation of training infrastructure.

The strategy is built on five key pillars: Education, Training, and Development, Deployment, Utilisation, and Governance, Retention and Migration Management, Monitoring, Evaluation, ICT, and Research, and Planning and Financing.

Government seeks to mobilise domestic resources and collaborate with the private sector to enhance investment in the health workforce.

An important aspect is the formal integration of community health workers into the main training and development system, ensuring a more sustainable and resilient health workforce.

To reduce workforce attrition, the strategy focuses on improving remuneration, while the monitoring and ICT aspects aim to digitise workforce management and improve research to inform decisions.

A significant financial commitment is also part of the plan, aiming to increase health investment from US$9 per capita to at least US$32, with a long-term goal of US$55.

However, there are concerns over corruption in the recruitment process, with reports of hospital heads demanding bribes from applicants.