Following their demand that government pay out 2016 bonuses, State-employed nurses in the African country of Zimbabwe presided upon by Robert Mugabe has commenced an indefinite strike.

According to Ceoafrica, last week, army doctors were brought in to manage a potential health crisis as a result of an on-going doctors’ strike.

Zimbabwe’s medical professionals are some of the worst paid in the region with their salaries often paid late and hospitals are scaling back emergency services as a wave of discontent spreads among doctors and nurses.

In the capital, it was learnt that many nurses didn’t show up for work at Harare and Chitungwiza central hospitals. A government representative couldn’t confirm this but said two major hospitals outside Harare had been badly affected.

Since last week, hospitals have been turning away the sick and patients have been discharged early following a doctors' strike over allowances and job security which has raised concern that the army personnel, brought in as a stop-gap, will not be able to cope without nurses.