doctors strike

The strike over pay and poor conditions lasted more than four months, paralysing the country's healthcare sector.

Last year, Zimbabwean telecoms billionaire Strive Masiyiwa tabled an offer to break the impasse.

Mr Masiyiwa said he would set up a 100m Zimbabwean dollar ($6.25m; £4.8m) fund.

He said this fund would pay up to 2,000 doctors a subsistence allowance of about US$300 a month to help them with transport and living costs.

Health Secretary Pascoe Kase said that a medical officer who walks away from his post abandons his own responsibilities.

Kase said this act breaches his contract of employment and leaves him open to disciplinary action.

He explained that the role of the NDA is to protect the rights of medical officers and make sure their welfare is taken care of.

“The rights of medical officers are not in issue here as the clearly stated purpose of strike action is political.

Department of Personal Management Secretary John Kali urged the doctors to return to work as the threats of withdrawal of labour contained in the NDA petition is in breach of their contracts.

Kali has lodged a formal complaint with the Industrial Registrar that the threats are in breach of contracts, in breach of the Industrial Award and the law.

He reminded NDA members that they are individually contracted to the State as employer and that they have a duty by virtue of their contract to provide medical care to the public at all times.