HARARE - Medical workers employed by Harare CityCouncil are lazy, Harare Residents Trust (HRT) said yesterday.

HRT director Precious Shumba, speaking during a budget pre-consultative meeting in Harare, said the increase in the number of referrals at central hospitals was a result of incompetent staff employed by the authority.

“The truth is your nurses and staff at your clinics there are lazy, all they do is simply to refer to state hospitals. That is why there has been an unwarranted increase in referral cases which are overwhelming government hospitals,” said Shumba. This came amid concerns raised by HRT communications officer Charles Mazorodze over the authority’s failure to adequately deliver on its set targets.

“You find most of the projects proposed for the 2013 budget have appeared in  council minutes previously but nothing has been done to implement them,” said Mazorodze.

Contrary to state employed nurses whose hectic days are part of their daily work schedule, council workers are constantly accused of short-changing residents by napping on duty.

Shumba said council should take measures against incompetent employees and overstaffing.

“What do you say about constant reports that council employs incompetent staff?” asked Shumba.

Council human Resources director said this was a result of a redeployment exercise currently being carried out by the authority meant to deal with over staffing and competence.

Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda is on record saying a head count of all workers last year had shown that there are some in wrong positions whose competencies do not match the type of jobs assigned to them.