Harare- The Government has dismissed recent remarks by British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson in which he said Britain had plans to relax terms for foreign doctors and nurses wishing to be employed within its health institutions.
The pronouncement came at a time the Zimbabwean government fired more than 200 medical doctors after they had embarked on a strike over poor salaries and working conditions.
Speaking during a post-cabinet media briefing on Tuesday, Health Minister Obadiah Moyo said government was treating the British stance as a normal policy variation by a sovereign state.
“We must take note that the British government has always been advertising for courses to recruit people from overseas; it is a continuous process,” Moyo said.
“So, the industrial action, incapacitation, whatever you may call it, it just merely coincides. This is an ongoing practice of the British government.
“You find out that they were concentrating on nurses at one time, doctors on another occasion. So, I would like to say the British recruitment action has nothing to do with us.” he said “They should feel free to recruit as they see fit. We can never stop them. Just like if we want to recruit, we can recruit as we see fit”
“It is just a privilege to each and every country to recruit wherever they feel that they want to recruit. And it is a very common issue that everybody knows. So, we will not be able to stop the officials because it is their right to recruit,” he said.
