Govt tightens vetting of student nurses after fake certificate scandals
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has intensified efforts to curb the use of fake academic certificates by individuals seeking admission into health training institutions, following a string of fraud scandals at major hospitals, including Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo and Parirenyatwa in Harare.
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi revealed the measures while responding to questions from legislators in the Senate this week.
He said the health ministry is now vetting all student nurse applicants through ZIMSEC to verify their academic qualifications before they are accepted for training.
He said the health ministry is now working closely with the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) to verify the academic qualifications of all student nurse applicants before enrolment.
“The Minister of Health and Child Care is now vetting through ZIMSEC and they have tasked ZIMSEC to confirm whether the papers are genuine,” Ziyambi said. “This is the path we are taking because we have seen that a lot of people are conning the ministry through the system.”
The minister acknowledged the growing problem of fraudsters infiltrating the health sector by presenting forged documents.
“Indeed, it is true that we have such con artists who forge papers and pretend that they are qualified,” he said.
The move follows a series of high-profile scandals at Mpilo Central Hospital, where several individuals were caught using fake qualifications.
In June this year, a 27-year-old man was jailed for seven years for masquerading as a qualified medical doctor. In September, two student nurses appeared in court for using fake ZIMSEC certificates to gain entry into the nursing programme, one of whom had trained from 2022 to 2025 before being discovered.
At Parirenyatwa Hospital, at least 11 fake doctors were exposed in 2024 after infiltrating the institution under false pretences.
Manicaland Senator Maxwell Mdhluri raised concern over the incidents, warning that the presence of unqualified practitioners was endangering lives and draining public resources.
“These culprits are putting people’s health at risk and obtaining resources from government through receiving salaries without deserving,” he said.
He urged government to strengthen recruitment processes to ensure that only qualified candidates are admitted into medical and nursing training programmes.
Minister Ziyambi said the issue was being treated with the seriousness it deserves and that new verification procedures would prevent similar cases in future. CITE
