UK-based doctor harnesses diaspora professionals to help Zim recovery and development
Health & Fitness

UK-based doctor harnesses diaspora professionals to help Zim recovery and development

A MEDICAL doctor based in the United Kingdom has launched a platform through which Zimbabwean professionals in the diaspora can help in the recovery of the country by sharing skills and ideas with public and private sector institutions back home .

Pushing diaspora rengagement ... Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro
Pushing diaspora rengagement … Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro

Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro, who runs a medical centre in Nottingham, said the Zimbabwe Diaspora Skills Network (ZDSN) was inspired by challenges he faced when trying to help at local hospitals when he travelled to Zimbabwe.

Other doctors and nurses have also tried to help only to be impeded by a regulatory ‘roadblock’ which says one must be registered with Zimbabwean professional organisations before they can work in local hospitals.

“We aim to identify challenges and opportunities associated with existing policies and directives related with the Diaspora overall engagement in Zimbabwe,” Dr Nyatsuro said in a statement to NewZimbabwe.com.

“We are currently working hard with our partners in and outside Zimbabwe to eliminate barriers such as registration of medical professionals with their respective bodies needed before practicing in Zimbabwe.

“Removing these barriers, where possible, will enable the country to benefit as a whole.”

The organisation has extended the initiative beyond the medical field to cover other professionals across the economic and social spectrum including engineers, local government experts, accountants, lawyers, lecturers as well as non-professionals.

The network will facilitate short term engagements for diaspora professionals visiting Zimbabwe to enable skills exchange and the sharing of experiences as well as help ease manpower problems in the country.

“We have a vast number of professionals and non-professional who have collective skills which cut across the whole economic spectrum,” said Dr Nyatsuro who launched the initiative with the support of his wife, Veronica.

“Our aim, as an organisation, is to facilitate and put structures and processes that will enable the local Zimbabweans to tap into this knowledge, skills and talent base to revitalise both the public and private sector institutions in the country.”

Zimbabwe boasts one of Africa’s highest literacy rates but an economic crisis that has lasted more than a decade has seen many professionals leave the country for better prospects abroad.

 

“If in the spirit of giving back, these professionals would do a shift or two working with colleagues there, it will make a lot of difference,” Dr Nyatsuro said.

“Sometimes there is no need to even do a shift but just sharing ideas with fellow professionals would help the country.

“Benefits would include benchmarking and quality improvements, technology sharing over and above the actual work done.”

The diaspora skills network seeks to help reverse the impact of the brain drain the country has suffered over the years.

“The goals of the organisation is to enable Zimbabwe to tap into the skills of its emigrant professionals and non-professionals in order to improve the quality of training programs and service provision through arranged voluntary work by Diaspora professionals abroad,” the organisation said.

“ZDSN offers an opportunity for Zimbabweans from all walks of life to return to Zimbabwe voluntarily, to share expertise and help with the development of the country on a permanent or temporary basis spreading skills and knowledge among local professionals.

“This will in turn partly solve the brain drain problems created by migration in the past few years.”

Dr Nyatsuro added: “This is a network of professionals that are happy to build linkages with organisations in Zimbabwe and share their skills and experience during their visits there.”

Participants would not charge for their services as this is “our way of giving back to the country” but they can benefit from “spin-offs, which may arise from this good gesture”.

Dr Nyatsuro emphasised that ZDSN is non-partisan and apolitical organisation.

“It is about Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans.

“The groups who are currently registering include doctors, nurses, social workers, engineers, educators, entrepreneurs, journalists, accountants, business consultants, ICT professionals, financial analysts, events organisers and care givers.

“The idea is for any Zimbabwean (regardless of qualification out there who wants to give back to register and be channelled into related areas in Zimbabwe.”

Long term, the organisation is looking at using information technology to provide virtual interaction possibilities so that participants do not necessarily need to physically travel to Zimbabwe.

More information is available at www.diasporaskills.org. Dr Nyatsuro can be contacted via email: sylvester.nyatsuro@zimdiasporaskills.org

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