The United Kingdom has banned international health and care workers from bringing their dependants to the country on work visas.
The UK Home Office announced the development in a post on its X account on Monday, 11 March. It said:
<blockquote>
From today, care workers entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas can no longer bring dependants. This is part of our plan to deliver the biggest-ever cut in migration.
</blockquote>
A graphic banner accompanying the post reads “Banned: Overseas care workers from bringing dependants. 120 000 people who arrived last year would no longer be eligible under our new rules.”
In December 2023, the UK Home Office announced the plan to reduce levels of legal migration to the UK which it described as “unprecedented” and “unsustainable”.
James Cleverly, home secretary, said apart from the ban on bringing dependents, workers would need to earn at least £38 700 to obtain a visa, up from £26 200. He said:
<blockquote>
We will stop overseas care workers from bringing family, dependants and we will require firms in England to be regulated by the Health Care Quality Commission in order for them to sponsor visas.
Approximately, 120,000 dependants accompanied 100 000 care workers in the year ending September 2023, but only 25% of the dependants are estimated to be in work, meaning that a significant number are joining public services rather than helping to grow the economy.
We recognize that healthcare workers do great work in our NHIS and health sector, but it’s also important that immigrants make a big enough financial contribution.
Therefore, it will increase the annual immigration healthcare charge by 66% from £624 to £1035 to raise, on average, £1.3 billion for the health services of the country every year.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

UK Bans International Healthcare Workers From Bringing Dependants

Zimbabwe’s health workers have condemned a new law that outlaws any industrial action, saying it will exacerbate the exodus of health professionals.
The Health Service Amendment Act which came into force on Tuesday prohibits health workers who are classified as an “essential” service from striking for more than three days.
The Act stipulates that those who do not comply face a fine or imprisonment of up to six months.
Enock Dongo, president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) said the new piece of legislation takes away health workers’ right to protest. He said:
<blockquote>
After the rejection of the bill by various stakeholders, they still went ahead to pass it. It is very unfortunate. The right to protest has been taken away.
… They tried to be clever, saying we are allowed to strike for three days, but we all know that even when we down tools for more days they do not want to negotiate.
</blockquote>
According to the Health Services Board (HSB), Zimbabwe has lost more than 4,000 doctors and nurses to the UK and other countries since 2021. Said Dongo:
<blockquote>
When you threaten health workers with jail, how do you expect them to discharge their duties?
This will affect every citizen, nurses will just adopt a ‘go-slow’ [approach to work].
</blockquote>
Norman Matara, the president of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) said:
<blockquote>
This law has taken us two steps backward. We have been trying to fight brain drain. 
Further frustration of health workers would lead to more people leaving. This bill will bring more negatives than positives.
This bill was widely rejected by all health professionals and even after the parliamentary consultations, this bill was rejected by the people.
To see the bill being drafted into law without amendments is quite sad.
</blockquote>
Government health workers have been demanding a living wage of US$540 a month but the government has said it cannot afford to meet their demands.
Nurses in Zimbabwe are paid less than US$100 a month excluding allowances. | <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/jan/12/health-workers-in-zimbabwe-dismayed-as-law-curbing-strikes-is-passed">The Guardian</a>

Health Workers In Zimbabwe Condemn Law Curbing Strikes

President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week signed into law the Health Services Amendment Bill which among other things, makes it illegal for government health workers to embark on industrial action lasting more than three days.
The Health Service Amendment Act stipulates that during job action, government health workers must continue to provide emergency services.
Under the Act, the old Health Services Board (HSB) was upgraded to a full commission, that is, the Health Services Commission (HSC) which set health workers’ conditions of service.
Health workers are now independent of the Public Services Commission (PSC), just like the judiciary, defence forces and police.
The restrictions on the health workers’ right to strike are contained in Section 16A of the new Act which says health services shall be deemed an essential service as defined in the Constitution. It reads:
<blockquote>
Notwithstanding anything in the Labour Act, the Health Service shall be deemed as an essential service referred to in section 65(3) of the Constitution.
No collective job action, whether lawful or unlawful, shall continue for an uninterrupted period of 72 hours or for more than 72 hours in any given 14-day period and notice of any collective job action must be given in writing 48 hours prior to the commencement of such collective job action.
</blockquote>
The Act says anyone inciting or organising collective job action in defiance of the new conditions can be tried for a criminal offence and if found guilty fined up to level four or jailed for six months.
Government workers are permitted to go on strike but during job action, they must provide the skill, expertise, care and service to patients in a medical emergency or needing critical or intensive care. | <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/prolonged-health-workers-strikes-now-illegal/">The Herald</a>

Govt Outlaws Prolonged Strikes By Health Workers

The government is urgently going to recruit more nurses to better equip the health department with more manpower to fight COVID-19, Sunday News reports.
This was revealed during a post-Cabinet briefing when Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said:
<blockquote>More nurses will be urgently recruited from the available pool of qualified nurses, while processes to resolve those on industrial action continue. In addition, to strengthen the Covid-19 response, Government will recruit additional staff to run Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, including unemployed graduates.
Government will also expedite the secondment and recruitment of additional staff such as nurses, laboratory scientists so as to strengthen health delivery system and national response to the Covid-19 outbreak.</blockquote>
Ironically, health workers including nurses are on strike citing poor working conditions and low wages a move that <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2020/08/02/the-health-workers-strike-has-worsened-the-situation-murwira-laments/">has worsened the COVID-19 crisis</a> according to the acting Health Minister.
More: <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/govt-to-recruit-more-nurses/">Sunday News </a>

Govt To Urgently Recruit More Nurses - Report

The Health Ministry is set to recruit 500 health workers which include doctors, nurses and technicians after the Ministry of Finance gave them the go-ahead to do so, The Chronicle reports.
This was revealed by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa after a COVID-19 taskforce meeting yesterday when she said the government was mulling setting up quarantine centres for COVID-19 positive cases as some cases have no capacity to self isolate:
<blockquote>The taskforce was informed that Treasury has concurred to the recruitment of an additional 500 health workers including doctors, nurses, and technicians for Intensive Care Unit/High Dependency Unit and isolation centres across the country.
This recruitment will go a long way in boosting our health services’ capacity to respond and treat Covid-19 cases.</blockquote>
On the issue of isolation centres for positive cases Mutsvangwa said:
<blockquote>It has also been noted that there are some cases that have the capacity to self-isolate but are not adhering to self-isolation protocols and are putting communities at risk.
We have recommended that all positive cases at private and public quarantine facilities be moved to specific isolation centres in order to prevent the further spread of Covid-19,</blockquote>
As of yesterday, Zimbabwe recorded 574 confirmed cases, 152 recoveries and seven (7) deaths.
More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/govt-to-recruit-more-health-workers/">Chronicle </a>

Govt To Recruit 500 Medical Workers

Health Workers (nurses, doctors, pharmacy technicians, midwives, etc) have withdrawn their services with effect from today due to low wages. A letter to their employer said they were incapacitated and cited their reasons. Read the full statement below:
<blockquote>Further to our 23 of May 2020 communication to the employer citing harsh macro economic conditions characterized by hyperinflation exchange rate volatility, and three tier pricing system. The Health Apex position suggested a need for a Cost of Living Adjustment in the second quarter of 2020, Sadly up to now, no formal communication has been received from the employer by was of writing or convening of the HSBNP 
Since that date up to now the social-economic situation has continued to deteriorate with the inflation  rate reaching 780% and the and exchange rate reaching over ZWL $90 to 1 USD. The bread basket for a family of 6 as measured by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe is now pegged at ZWL 8500. The current ZWL $3000 salaries can’t sustainably take care of the families of health care workers under the prevailing socio-economic situation,
Again the Health Sector Specific Allowances which were awarded backdated to 1 January 2020 were not paid according to the CBA 2 of 2020. But back pay has been eroded by inflation. To that end the Healthcare workers arc economically incapacitated to continue reporting for duty until the renumeration  package is reviewed to their satisfaction.
We haee noted with great concern the circular on various media platforms that the government has offered USD75 as Covid19 allowance across board and this is applaudable as this is a global trend during this pandemic. However, we as health care workers await for a communique based on CBA on our allowances pegged in United States Dollars, our members have rejected the current offer of USD 75 with the contempt it deserves.
The Healthcare worker, demands that salaries revert back to the 1st of October digits that were pessed in USD Which is a stable currency that can store value of that salary. In that way, pensions, savings, medical aid, funeral policies will not continue to be eroded.
This letter serves to inform you that the health care workers as you might have witnessed have already taken matters into their hands and have withdrawn their services. 
Therefore we would like to officially communicate as the Health Apex that health workers have withdrawn their services with immediate effect until our demands have been met.</blockquote>
<img alt="" class="wp-image-170685 aligncenter" decoding="async" height="648" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 449px) 100vw, 449px" src="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Health-Workers-2-208x300.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Health-Workers-2-208x300.jpg 208w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Health-Workers-2.jpg 710w" width="449"/><img alt="" class="wp-image-170684 aligncenter" decoding="async" height="678" loading="lazy" src="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Health-Workers-1-199x300.jpg" width="450"/>
 
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/daddyhope/status/1273589817985638400">Twitter </a>

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