ZIMBABWE NURSES ASSOCIATION
PRESENTATION
SANNAM ANNUAL NETWORK
MEETING AND POLICY
1st – 5th DECEMBER 2010
SOUTH AFRICA
PREPARED BY REGINA P. SMITH
ZIMBABWE NURSES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
and
SIMANGALISO MAFA
ZINA GENERAL SECRETARY
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Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) is a vibrant nurses
organization for the Republic of Zimbabwe. It was founded
in 1980 and currently has a membership of about 4800 out
of a possible 16000 members. Membership is voluntary.

It is a participatory non-governmental organization. The
affairs of the Association are managed by a Standing
Committee of 6 members plus 10 Provincial Branch
Chairpersons to make up 16 National Executive Committee
members, headed by the current association’s President Mrs
Regina Smith.
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Our country has a National Nurses Act with a
Nursing Council in place and Code of Ethics.
Nurses Council governs the practice of nursing.
ZINA constitution was enacted in 1980.
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ZINA draws its membership from all health
institutions in Zimbabwe, Public Sector and Private
Sector, all qualified nurses who join receive a full
membership status and all student nurses and nurse
aides who join receive associate membership status.
Retired nurses who remain actively participating in
the association may receive honorary membership
status.
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Mission Statement
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Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) aims to successfully
negotiate for safe working environment and good working
conditions that ensure comfort and safety of the
patient/client and the nurse in every health care institution in
Zimbabwe .
Driven by team spirit (ZINA) ensures that it represents
nurses in the country through visionary leadership that is
sensitive to national health aims, influence health policy,
advancing the profession through continuing education,
practice and research, partnership enhancement and
promoting the highest standard of nursing care.
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Vision

Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA)’s vision is to
be the leading Association in Zimbabwe with a
membership of not less than 80%. The strength of
the Association (ZINA) is to lobby for better
working conditions and remuneration to attract
retain and recruit more nurses thereby improving
nursing care provision to individuals, families and
the Zimbabwe community.
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CURRENT STATUS OF THE ORGANIZATION
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Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) as a mother
body has subgroups under its umbrella. These
groups include the Association of Midwives,
Anaesthetists, Occupational Health Nurses, Mental
Health Nurse who all are affiliated to ZINA. All
these spearhead the nurses cause.
Currently the Association is in the process of
rebuilding and restructuring after the inception of
the new leadership under President Regina P.
Smith.
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Membership is very low due to apathy and poor
working conditions which contribute to massive
resignations into private sector, region and
international market where pastures are said to be
greener.
Subscriptions to the association is only USD1.00 per
member per month which is insufficient to meet the
recurrent costs to run the Association.
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ZINA’s Sources of Income
The source of income besides subscription is
through selling ZINA regalia like jerseys, scarfs
and badges.
Main sustainability plans:We plan to have poultry, rabbits projects in every
province.
Tuck-shops.
We plan to erect a 3 storey building behind our
offices to accommodate nurses from provinces
who would have come for Post Graduate courses.
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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
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Provincial Tours done in February in company of
Mrs D. Ngoma from Malawi. Thanks to SANNAM
for making the tour a success.
Launch of Kadoma Declaration by His Excellency
Cde R.G Mugabe in February 2010. This is a
landmark achievement which brings Labour,
Commerce and Government together to attend to
pressing socio-economic issues. ZINA is part and
parcel of this agenda.
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Cont…..
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ZINA now is part of the Labour Reform Agenda.
General Secretary Mr S. Mafa is one of the members
appointed to the Tripartite Advisory Board by the
Minister of Labour on Labour Reform in Zimbabwe
(March 2010).
The President of ZINA Mrs R.P Smith was recently
appointed (March 2010) to the Public Health
Advisory Board by the Minister of Health.
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Challenges
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Association still struggling in trying to fund raise for
its activities.
Association vehicle now old and needs replacement
but funds still difficult to get
Office equipment is now obsolete it needs
replacement
Low salaries
Poor working conditions
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Cont….
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Donor fatigue
Other Health related allowances to retain staff yet to
be reinstated after the establishment of multicurrency system. These include among the list
Medical Allowance, Post Basic Allowance e.t.c.
Labour Migration still experienced.
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Cont….
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The HIV/AIDS pandemic has also taken its toll among
nurses. Fortunately, the nurses are not medically boarded
but they are counselled and started on ART. Support groups
are also formed to help the nurses who are infected and
affected. Financial support is very critical to the nurses to
form HIV/AIDS groups but the association is failing to help
meaningfully because of its current financial status.
Massive resignation of Senior Nursing staff for greener
pastures affected our membership and services.
Human Resources, internal and external brain drain of
health professionals is still experienced.
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Cont….
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Civil Society/Donors and NGOs are still skeptical
about the Zimbabwean situation so the country is
facing a uphill task in promoting and creating
enabling environment for investor confidence for
donors and NGOs.
Health funding is too little leading to poor
infrastructure, obsolete equipment which need
replacement, shortages of linen, drugs, sundries and
other tools of the trade.
Re-emergency of infections diseases previously
under control like TB.
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Cont….
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The Association continues to lobby for better
working conditions for its members who are
currently earning an average of USD165,00 per
month which is far below the Poverty Datum Line
(PDL) of USD502,00. The pathetic salaries have
led to massive resignations of mostly Midwives
and nurses with specialities.
The country is facing financial crisis but the
workforce needs reasonable remuneration and this
puts the Association under immense pressure to
deliver whilst they face hardships from the
employer who fails to budge because of lack of
financial muscle.
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Progress Report on Country/Indicators
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There is a marked improvement in women
participation in decision making. Zimbabwe boasts
of a lady Vice President and a lady Vice Prime
Minister.
There are also reasonable Ministries which are
headed by ladies like the Ministry of Labour and
Gender Ministry.
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate has dropped from a high
rate of 30% to as low as 12%.
Family Planning knowledge is around 98%
(Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey 2007).
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Cont…..
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Literacy rate is above 85%.
Fertility rate fell from 5.4 births per women in 1998
to 3.8 births per women in 2007.
Sadly, Maternal Mortality rate rose from below 100
to above 718/100 000 births.
Life expectancy continues to fall and it is now below
40 years.
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Cont….
Unemployment rate is still above 85%.
Public Service salaries are between USD100,00 –
USD235,00 per month.
Inflation rate is below 4%.
Poverty Datum Line is around USD502,00.
The Public now access ARVs in Public Institutions
for free.
We are optimistic that salaries and nurses working
conditions will improve soon.
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Accrued benefits from being SANNAM Affiliate
for the Past Three (3) Years
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SANNAM sponsored the hosting of our 2009 AGM
when the Association was in a financial distress.
SANNAM sent its President Mr Mafalo to observe
our 2009 election which ushered in the current
executive.
SANNAM sponsored Mrs D. Ngoma to come to
Zimbabwe in February 2010 to drum up
membership support during provincial tours of our
10 Provinces. This resulted in more than 1000
members joining the Association.
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…./
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The Executive Director of SANNAM and Mrs D.
Ngoma attended ZINA Annual General Meeting
which was held in October 2010. We continue to
cherish their support which gives us power and
resilience as we drive our association forward.
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Our Expectations for SANNAM
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Support to sister NNA in the form of regular visits,
financial, material and psychologically.
Lobby for better working condition for nurses and
midwives in the region through engaging the SADC
Health Ministers.
Twinning of NNAs with other International NNAs
like it has done in the region.
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Other Issues
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The Association is working collaboratively with the
Nurses Council of Zimbabwe, Universities and other
training colleges of nurses.
Sub-groupings under ZINA like the Zimbabwe
Confederation of Midwives (ZICOM) are also
members of the Association who supports the NNA.
Zimbabwe has an established Nursing Directorate
and of late we are almost done with the proposal of
the Nursing Director to be elevated to the Principal
Director Nursing Services.
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…/
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With all the necessary support from the NNAs in the
region and abroad, SANNAM and other interested
parties we believe our Association will get where we
want it to be in less than 5 years.
I thank you.
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