Page 6 The Commission Newsletter, August 31, 2016 ZHRC speaks to human rights victims From Page 1 On the day of the mass job stay-away on 13 July, clashes were recorded in a number of places that include Epworth, Ruwa and Kuwadzana in Harare while Makokoba and Nguboyenja in Bulawayo were not spared. In Bulawayo, there were reports of a oneyear toddler and an old man whose health a l l e g e d l y deteriorated and later died after the police besieged Burombo Flats in Nguboyenja high density suburb and indiscriminately fired teargas so as to flush out suspected protestors. ZHRC sent two teams to investigate the disturbances at the Burombo Flats and in Epworth after receiving complaints. The findings will be made public once they are finalised. There have been numerous other instances such as the demonstrations by vendors and the protests against the introduction of bond notes where the police heavyhandedness has been alleged. The Commission is also mandated by the Constitution to investigate all cases of abuse of power a n d maladministration by State institutions and State officials. Thus, the Commission has taken over the work of the Public Protector’s Office (previously called the Ombudsman’s Office). Commissioner Elasto Hilarious Mugwadi is the ZHRC Chairperson after taking over from Honourable Jacob Mudenda. From Page 7 Commissioner Mugwadi. The Chairperson also urged for a speedy resolution of the impasse between the Association of Healthcare Funders and Zimbabwe Medical Association and the alignment of all Acts and related pieces of legislation such as the Public Health Act (15:09), Health Services Act (15:16), Mental Health Act (15:12) in promotion of the right to health care. His remarks came in the wake of misunderstandings and conflicting statements by the two parties. Commissioner M u g w a d i ’ s counterpart, ZADHR Chairperson Dr Rutendo Bonde implored ZHRC to co-opt a medical professional for all visits to places of detention and correctional facilities. “ A l t e r n a t i v e l y, ZADHR urges the ZHRC to establish a Technical Working Group on Health, where we will have m e d i c a l professionals working together with ZHRC and participate in monitoring visits. “Further, we wish to bring to the attention of the Commission the absence of human rights courses in medical schools for undergraduates and also Continuous Education for professionals. We believe such training will go a long way in enhancing clinical effectiveness among health professionals through an appreciation of rights-based approaches to healthcare,” Dr Bonde explained. Earlier on, a representative of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, Dr Fortune Nyamande had lamented the poor remuneration in the public health sector which has seen doctors getting a mere $700 per month, a risk allowance of $50 per month and having inconsistent pay days. Doctors also endure long working hours and poor oncall allowance, among other grievances. In response to these concerns, Dr Maxwell Hove who was representing the Minister of Health and Child Care, said it was disturbing that some universities are now churning out many half-baked doctors as the country’s medical infrastructure can h a r d l y accommodate their effective training. Dr Hove said as much as 200 students were graduating yearly from National University of Science and Technology as well as Midlands State University but the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education was unfazed about where they go after that. ZHRC engages health workers EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Chairperson: Karukai Ratsauka Compiler/Design & Layout: Shadrick William Members: Misheck Bulo, Linet Sithole, Sarudzai Paungano