The Government has begun a phased programme to place village health workers on the national payroll in what officials describe as a major policy shift aimed at standardising pay and ending reliance on donor funding.
Speaking in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said the state had assumed responsibility for paying thousands of village health workers who were previously funded largely by non-governmental organisations.
"We were not paying the village health workers. Some of the village health workers were being paid by different organisations and NGOs," he told lawmakers.
Zimbabwe has about 21 000 village health workers nationwide with an estimated 15 000 of them previously supported by NGOs. The workers play a critical role in delivering primary healthcare services particularly in rural communities.
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Dr Mombeshora said discussions last year with the Ministry of Finance led to an agreement to gradually absorb the workers into government employment.
"Last year, we had an agreement with the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion that we should take responsibility for all health workers including the village health workers," he said.
Progress, however, has been constrained by limited Treasury allocations. Towards the end of last year, the Health Ministry was granted 5 284 posts -- not all of them for village health workers -- and about 3 500 people were taken on board.
The minister said additional posts have already been requested this year to continue the transition expressing hope that by the end of next year all village health workers would be fully integrated and receiving monthly salaries from the state.
In addition to formalising employment, the government has reviewed their remuneration. Dr Mombeshora said the former allowances would be converted into salaries worth three times what they previously received, following Treasury approval.
The move is intended to make the pay "meaningful" and sustainable, he said.
Some lawmakers raised concerns about disparities between workers already absorbed and those still funded by NGOs. The minister acknowledged the gap but stressed that the process was ongoing.
"It is not that they are not getting anything at all," he said, noting that those still under NGO support continue to receive payments though at lower levels than the proposed government salary scale.
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Beyond wages, the government says it is standardising operational support by providing uniforms, bicycles and work bags to village health workers across districts.
Officials say the transition marks a step towards strengthening Zimbabwe's primary healthcare system and ensuring more predictable support for frontline community health staff.
