Retail Pharmacists Association has pleaded with government to open administrative appointments in the public health sector to other health professionals who may not be medical doctors in line with international trends.
Presenting before the Parliamentary Portfolio committee on health and child care today, Secretary General for the Health Professions Authority, Shepherd Humure said Zimbabwe needs to leapfrog and catch up with international trends with regards to administrative appointments in the public health sector.
“It is clear that Zimbabwe is behind time in terms of administrative appointments. In South Africa, l attended one of Ms Malebona Matsotso, Health Department Director General’s workshops. Her CV was presented to us as a pharmacist and yet she held a post equivalent of the permanent secretary in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Hurume said in transitional health care setups, no one should hold a monopoly to knowledge and appointment to administrative positions, giving an example of the late Michael Sata, a Trade Unionist who was a Minister of Health before he became the State President of Zambia.
“Here in Zimbabwe, we have our Minister of Mines, Winston Chitando who is an accountant. Before he became Minister of Mines, he was an Executive Chairman at Mimosa Mines Holdings, leading Mining operations with a team comprising mining surveyors, mining engineers, underground managers, geologists and metallurgists around him,” added Hurume.
He spoke against prescribing a certain profession to an administrative position saying appointments should be guided by meritocracy and not group thinking as is the current situation.
“An administrative position is supposed to be based on someone with proven administrative experience and ability to assemble a team of experts and lead them,” added Hurume.
