Zimbabwe Doctors Flee as AIDS Crisis Widens

Fleeing the deepening hardships in Zimbabwe and following the lure of opportunities unimaginable there, medical professionals are leaving the country as never before. As a result, the healthcare system in Zimbabwe, a nation with one of the world's worst AIDS epidemics, is sinking into crisis. Over the last few years, as many as 100 doctors and hundreds -- if not thousands -- of nurses are estimated to have emigrated from the country of 11 million people.

When asked what was luring away his staff, Dr. Zulu Mahlangu, acting medical superintendent of Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, said, "It's money first and foremost." Doctors in government service typically earn $550 to $1,100 a month in Zimbabwe, and nurses from $350 to $500, according to the Health Ministry and the nurses' union. So countries experiencing critical healthcare staffing shortages have found legions of workers in Zimbabwe looking for something better. Currently in Zimbabwe, of the 600 posts for doctors in government hospitals, nearly 100 are vacant, as are 600 of the 5,000 positions for general nurses, said Davies G. Dhlamkama, the Health Ministry's director of technical support.

Such shortages in medical staff mean that many treatable conditions remain untreated among Zimbabwe citizens. The sort of specialized treatment that was once available only in the capital city is increasingly not offered any more. Mpilo Central has only three staff obstetricians to deliver 11,000 babies a year, and two of those are on loan from Cuba, where they spend several weeks each year.

Back to other CDC news for June 4, 2001

Previous Updates