Zimbabwe aims to make it illegal for other countries to recruit its health workers, according to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.

The move is an effort to stop the loss of valuable healthcare professionals that has long been a challenge for Zimbabwe’s healthcare system.

Chiwenga, who is also the health minister, compared the loss of healthcare professionals to human trafficking and announced stricter penalties for those who he claimed had deprived the nation of its human capital.

Local media reports suggest that more than 4,000 doctors and nurses have left Zimbabwe since February 2021. The UK’s National Health Service has been an attractive destination for Zimbabwean health workers due to higher wages.

The Zimbabwe Medical Association estimates that the country has about 3,500 doctors for a population of 15 million people. The country is currently facing an economic crisis characterized by high inflation that has significantly reduced wages.