Zimbabwe’s government is considering opening general nurse training to private hospitals, a move that could expand the number of nurses the country produces at a time when many are leaving for jobs abroad.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the ministry intends to bring the private sector into nurse training in phases. “The Ministry’s intention is to progressively open up private sector participation in nurse training,” he said, according to a report by 263Chat carried by AllAfrica.
He said the process would depend on the results of a pilot at the Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa School of Nursing in Kadoma.
Avenues Clinic graduation
The minister was speaking at the 23rd graduation ceremony of The Avenues Clinic in Harare, where 38 specialist nurses graduated in Intensive Care Nursing and Operating Theatre Nursing.
- The clinic has now trained 347 specialist nurses: 185 intensive care nurses and 162 operating theatre nurses.
- Managing Director Sibusisiwe Ndhlovu said the clinic spends about US$200,000 a year on postgraduate nursing education, on top of infrastructure, equipment and clinical training costs.
- Principal Nursing Officer Florence Ogwal said oncology and palliative care nursing programmes were introduced in January 2026.
- The clinic subsidises training for nurses from government health facilities and hosts clinical attachments for University of Zimbabwe nursing students.
The Avenues Clinic has renewed its application for government approval to offer the General Nursing Diploma.
Dr Mombeshora urged continued investment in critical care, oncology, emergency medicine and neonatal care, all areas where specialist nurses are scarce.
Why it matters
Zimbabwe has lost large numbers of nurses to the United Kingdom and other countries in recent years. Zimbabwe is on the WHO’s health workforce support and safeguards list, which means countries such as the UK are not supposed to actively recruit its health workers. Even so, many nurses migrate independently in search of better pay and conditions.
Expanding training capacity is one way to replace those who leave. Private institutions can add classroom space, clinical placements and specialist expertise. But nursing educators and unions in many countries also raise concerns about private training:
- Quality and standards: new schools need qualified tutors, approved curricula and enough clinical placements.
- Cost: fees at private schools may be out of reach for many students.
- Retention: training more nurses doesn’t help if pay and working conditions still push them to emigrate.
Zimbabwe’s nurses have also staged strikes and threatened industrial action in recent years over pay and unpaid allowances.
A regional trend
Across Africa, governments are trying to train more nurses and keep them. Nigeria has expanded nursing school admissions and set up new federal colleges of nursing and midwifery; Ghana has signed bilateral recruitment agreements with other countries; and West African health ministers have discussed a regional plan to retain health workers. Zimbabwe’s move to involve private hospitals fits this wider picture.
What it could mean for nurses
- More places for students who want to train as general nurses.
- More specialist courses (ICU, theatre, oncology, palliative care) for registered nurses.
- Potential opportunities for experienced nurses to work as tutors and clinical instructors.
Anyone considering a nursing course should check that the institution and programme are approved by the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe before enrolling.