Fact Check – Is Britain’s NHS no longer taking Zimbabwean health workers? - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
February 24, 2023
CLAIM: A screenshot of an email is circulating on local social media platform claiming that Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is no longer supporting applications from Zimbabweans due to government-to-government conversations over the amount of health workers relocating to the UK.
IS THIS TRUE, FALSE OR UNCLEAR?
Without directly addressing ZimFact’s question on whether the email screenshot represented the actual position or not, the United Kingdom Embassy in Harare said Zimbabwean applicants should get guidance from the government official website, and the embassy’s Twitter and Facebook pages. There is currently no such communication on these platforms.
Zimbabwe media reports that thousands of local nurses and ancillary health workers have left for the United Kingdom (UK) in the last 20 years, and many more are desperate to join them for better wages and working conditions which they are not getting at home.
The Zimbabwe government says it is working on improving salaries and conditions of service in the public health sector, and has complained of a skills drain by developed Western countries.
Below is a copy of the viral message extracted from social media.
The British Embassy spokesperson without directly addressing the question regarding the contents of the email said: “The UK recognizes the importance that skilled migrants make to the country. The UK Government monitors international recruitment activity and keeps all of its immigration routes under review.”
The British Embassy spokesperson  encourages people seeking to get a health and care worker visa to consult the guidance of the UK government website and DHS guidelines shared by the British Embassy on their Twitter and Facebook pages.
The UK government website clearly sets out the requirements when one is applying for a skilled worker visa, the types of jobs on the shortage occupations list,  specific skilled workers required in areas in the UK that have shortages, among others.
For health care, jobs outlined on the list include medical practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, radiographers, paramedics, occupational therapists, nurses, among others.
In December, another message purporting that UK was hiring  Zimbabwean teachers in a 2023 recruitment drive  went viral.
For further information, visit the United Kingdom government website.
Without directly addressing the question on Zimbabwean health workers, the spokesperson for the UK Embassy in Harare directed people to get guidance from  the United Kingdom government website
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