Ruth Mutyavaviri
Zimbabwe is experiencing a serious shortage of experienced forensic pathologists, causing considerable delays in postmortem examinations, notably in murder cases. Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, the Health and Child Care Minister, said in Parliament on Wednesday that the country now has only one competent forensic pathologist. As a result of the shortage, bodies have been transferred from various districts to Harare for examination, overwhelming the solitary pathologist and producing delay.
To fix this situation, the government hired three forensic pathologists from Cuba, who started working on October 1. Minister Mombeshora emphasized that these experts will help conduct forensic post-mortems and relieve demand on current facilities. He did, however, point out that many regional mortuaries lack the appropriate forensic pathology equipment, necessitating the transportation of bodies to central hospitals in Harare and Bulawayo.
The minister also addressed the bigger issue of brain drain, which sees many qualified forensic pathologists leave the nation. To fight this, the Health Service Commission is developing incentives, such as higher salary and benefits, to keep medical professionals and increase local interest in this specialized subject. Addressing the forensic pathologist shortage is critical to ensuring timely and accurate medicolegal investigations in Zimbabwe.
