Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Constantino Chiwenga inaugurated the long-overdue Nurses and Midwives Council of Zimbabwe board at a Ministry of Health and Child Care conference at the Kingdom Hotel in Victoria Falls.

Dr. Chiwenga explained that he took his time to carefully select the Nurses and Midwives Council of Zimbabwe board based on the crucial role that it plays in the health sector.

“I inaugurated other health professional councils and I had to take time to consider the composition of this Nurses Council given its nature and expectations.

“Nurses comprise the largest proportion of the entire health workforce. Their management therefore remains a priority and the new Council members are expected to deliver beyond measure,” said Dr. Chiwenga.

The VP charged the newly inaugurated Nurses and Midwives Council of Zimbabwe to promote the health and wellbeing of the Zimbabwean population at large.

“The Ministry looks forward to seeing the Council performing its primary objective of promoting the health and wellbeing of all Zimbabweans.

“I look forward to seeing well-trained nurses of the highest integrity manning our health institutions. The nursing practice has a significant impact on health care delivery, patient safety and patient outcomes, regulation of the profession and individual nursing practice as necessary,” said the VP.

VP Chiwenga advised the Council to prioritise the establishment and enforcement of standards of the various branches of the nursing profession at the same time preserving the interests of nurses.

“During your tenure of office, I urge you to prioritise establishment and enforcement of standards of all branches of the nursing profession in all their aspects and to safeguard the interests of all nurses.

In her acceptance speech, the newly appointed Nurses and Midwives Council of Zimbabwe Chairperson, Dr. Lioba Tendai Gunduza urged her fellow board members to take the appointment seriously and strive to deliver on the mandate and promote the health delivery system in the country.

“To my fellow board members, I urge you not to relax as this is only the beginning of a long and arduous journey, so we need to give our all.

“Let us remember that this is a national duty and we were appointed to assist the Honourable Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care to advance the nursing practice in Zimbabwe with a view for improving the health and wellbeing of the Zimbabwe population,” said Dr. Gunduza.

The Nurses and Midwives Council of Zimbabwe is provided for under the Health Professions Act (Chapter 27:19) Section 40. The last Council’s mandate ended in June 2020. The Council has a membership of 18 389 general nurses; midwives (9 155); Clinical Officers (88); Nurse Educators (87); Operating Theatre Nurses (670); Nurse Anaesthetists (201); Nurse Administrators (493); Community Nurses (618); Intensive Care Nurses (330); Oncology and Palliative Care Nurses (34) and Advanced Neonatal Intensive Care and Paediatric Nurses (141).