Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe – Progress Muzuva, a nurse at Bikita Rural Hospital, lies bedridden and forgotten, nearly seven years after sustaining severe injuries while performing her duties. Despite the life-altering trauma she endured while protecting a mother and newborn during a harrowing ambulance ride in 2018, Muzuva has received neither compensation nor adequate medical care from government authorities. Her case has become a painful symbol of the neglect many frontline healthcare workers face in Zimbabwe’s failing health system.
The incident that changed Muzuva’s life unfolded on August 13, 2018, when she was assigned to escort a pregnant woman in critical condition to Silveira Mission Hospital. What began as a routine emergency quickly turned into a nightmare. Midway through the journey, the patient, who had been stable, became violently unstable. Screaming, smashing a window, and attempting to leap from the moving ambulance, the woman posed a danger to herself and others.
Displaying extraordinary courage, the nurse managed to restrain the patient and bring her safely back into the vehicle. Soon after, the woman went into labor. With no medical tools at hand and only her bare hands, the nurse delivered the baby. But the ordeal escalated further when the woman, gripped by delusions, accused Muzuva of switching the newborn and attempted to harm the infant. Again, Muzuva intervened—shielding the baby with her body, fending off the mother’s assault, and ensuring both mother and child were safely delivered to hospital staff upon arrival at Silveira.
The physical toll on Muzuva was severe. In the process of subduing the patient and protecting the newborn, she suffered serious injuries, including a swollen left leg and damage to her spine—later confirmed by X-rays. The injuries left her incapacitated and unable to continue her work. However, instead of being offered compensatory leave or specialist medical care, Muzuva was merely placed on standard sick leave. Her repeated appeals for assistance—ranging from transportation to specialist hospitals to coverage for her growing medical bills—were flatly denied.
Faced with a non-responsive system,the nurse was left to fend for herself. Over the years, she has spent more than US$11,000 on medical bills, a burden far beyond her means. With no state-provided ambulance or support, she has been forced to travel to hospital appointments in agony, often lying on a mattress inside crowded commuter omnibuses.
Seven Years of Suffering: Injured Bikita Nurse Abandoned by Health Authorities
Adding insult to injury, Muzuva’s salary was slashed by 50% just months after the attack, despite her being incapacitated by a workplace injury. Requests for reinstatement of her full salary and a formal recognition of her injury as occupational were ignored. A senior human resources official reportedly responded with cold indifference, allegedly telling her to “just resign” if she could no longer work.
“I did my duty. I protected both mother and child, even when it meant risking my own life. But ever since then, I’ve been left to suffer alone,” the nurse said from her bed. “The system that I served has turned its back on me.”
Her story has sparked outrage among fellow healthcare workers and rights advocates. The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) has called for urgent intervention, labelling the government’s inaction as a gross violation of workers’ rights and dignity.
“This is not just about Muzuva—it’s about the value, or lack thereof, that our government places on healthcare workers,” said ZINA spokesperson Enock Dongo. “She should be receiving lifelong support for her sacrifice. Instead, she’s being punished for doing her job.”
Muzuva’s case underscores the broader challenges facing Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector, which continues to suffer from underfunding, corruption, and the mass exodus of skilled professionals. Frontline workers are often asked to serve under dangerous conditions with minimal protection or recourse when harmed.
Health ministry officials have remained tight-lipped on the matter, with repeated requests for comment going unanswered. Meanwhile, Muzuva’s health continues to deteriorate, her savings depleted, and her faith in the system all but shattered.
“I was trained to save lives. That’s what I did on that day. But now, I feel like my life doesn’t matter,” she said.
Seven years on, Progress Muzuva remains bedridden not only from her injuries, but from the weight of abandonment. Her story is a sobering indictment of a system that praises sacrifice but punishes the sacrificial. Her only remaining hope lies in public pressure and moral outrage—a call for justice for one nurse who gave everything, and received nothing in return.
