Zimbabwe could find itself without junior doctors because the University of Zimbabwe is still delaying setting final exams for fifth-year medical students from 2019. The Times reports that this is the warning the from the Zimbabwe Health Doctors Association that said though normalcy has returned in the public health sector, there is still no provision made for the medical students to complete their programme. It has written to the university's College of Health Sciences about the possible risks.
The exams were due to be written in November, but were postponed by the university's senate on the recommendation of a special task force. There were concerns that government hospitals would be unable to handle any training of interns due to the doctors' strike that lasted until mid-January. The class was left with three months to complete its five-year programme before studies were disrupted.
In its letter, the association says: "These developments pose significant threat to the health system as in the next few months there will be a severe shortage of interns. "This perpetual uncertainty has caused unnecessary anxiety and stagnation and requires urgent review."
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2020-03-01-shortage-of-junior-doctors-looms-in-zimbabwe/"]Full report in The Times[/link]