The Ministry of Health has confessed that it is failing to employ and retain staff, especially nurses who continue to look for work elsewhere.

When asked to respond if they were not threatened by the recent advertisement by a new hospital, Bokamoso Private Hospital, which is seeking for professional nurses, the ministry's spokesperson Temba Sibanda admitted that it was a challenge.

We are fighting a losing battle as far as employment of nurses is concerned. We cannot get a sufficient number of nurses who have specialised at the moment,he said, adding that at the moment they have only seven nurses in two referral (Princess Marina and Nyangabgwe) Referral hospitals and two nurses in upgraded hospitals trained in intensive care nursing.

Two other upgraded hospitals do not have intensive care units. The overall total of nurses trained in operating theatre techniques is 20 and they are distributed among the two referra,l and five upgraded hospitals (including Gantsi) we had to transfer nurses with this skill from primary hospitals to referral and district hospitals. All other areas of nurse specialisations are also affected not to mention midwives, he said.