By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
UNEMPLOYED Doctors have advised the government to employ all unemployed doctors or allow them to do private jobs.
The doctors who were not so long ago assured of employment following a protest last year say they do not welcome the latest position by the Minister of Health suggesting that a criteria would be followed in the recruitment process and that volunteers would be prioritised.
Unemployed Doctors Representative Wallace Ndumba said there were about 700 unemployed doctors currently who shoud be considered.
Mr Ndumba said the figure included doctors working on contracts, those who were not employed on contracts including volunteers and newly graduated doctors.
“Reasonably, this figure can be taken in at once in the 11,000 health workers to be recruited.
“This is supposed to be a straight-forward undertaking without complicating matters by raising issues of “priority” because the 700 includes volunteers and everyone else waiting to be employed,” he said.
He said he found the emphasis about volunteering unsubstantial and confusing because all unemployed doctors could simply be employed in the 11,000 mass recruitment among other health professionals.
He said there should be a very small number of doctors volunteering because the majority were employed on contracts and had been working while others were left out hoping to be employed this year as earlier announced by the new government.
Mr Ndumba further wondered where the emphasis about volunteering was coming from because the number should be very small if any.
He said the earlier government did something the better because the unemployed doctors were going through psychological trauma.
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