Vice President Chiwenga Appointed New Health Minister
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Vice President Constantino Chiwenga as the new Minister of Health and Childcare.
The appointment was announced on Tuesday by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr. Misheck Sibanda who said the appointment is with immediate effect.
The appointment follows the announcement that Dr. Jasper Chimedza had been appointed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Childcare.
The Minister of Health and Childcare position fell vacant following the dismissal of Obadiah Moyo who is facing corruption allegations.
Higher Education Minister Professor Amon Murwira was Acting Minister of Health and Childcare.
Savanna News publishes the full statement below:
APPOINTMENT OF THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT
In terms of Section 99 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013, His Excellency the President, Cde E D Mnangagwa, has appointed Hon Vice President Dr C D G N Chiwenga as Minister of Health and Child Care.
In making this decision, His Excellency the President has noted the urgent need to stabilize, restructure and reform the National Health Delivery System to better cope with challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in the process, ensuring a quick turn-around in national healthcare.
The appointment is with immediate effect.
Chiwenga’s appointment comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s nurses and doctors are striking over working conditions and salaries.
In 2018, Chiwenga fired 16,000 striking nurses vowing to replace them with newly-trained and retired nurses. In a statement, Chiwenga said he had taken the decision to fire nurses as supervisor of the social services cluster.
Chiwenga argued that the strike by the nurses at the time was politically motivated because it had continued despite Government acceding to nurses’ demands and availing over $17 million.
In his defence, Chiwenga said the decision was “in the interest of patients and of saving lives.”
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