By Kuda Pembere
Zimbabwe could be sitting on a stockpile of Certificates of Good Standing (CGS), amidst indications that the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe (NCZ) has processed only four certificates this year.
Last week, the NCZ issued a press statement warning the public about the proliferation of fake CGS documents. However, some sources have accused the council of failing to process legitimate applications, alleging that the last certificates were issued in 2022.
These verification letters don’t come out. They last issued these certificates in January 2022,” a source said. “You are causing this. You’re creating that leeway.
“They should not act as if they are concerned about what is happening to the nurses, yet they are failing to uphold the principles and ethics of the Council’s responsibility. They should give us the letters of good standing and our diplomas, and nothing like this would happen.”
Another source revealed that some fake certificates were being sold for over US$2,000. Frustrated by the delays, nurses were reportedly willing to pay these amounts after already paying the official US$300 fee at the NCZ.
In an interview, NCZ Registrar Mr. Benjamin Maheya acknowledged the possibility that no certificates had been issued since 2022.
“We are not quite independent as we have a line ministry we work under,” he said.
Although he could not confirm the exact backlog, Maheya stated that the council had issued four certificates this year.
“This year, I have issued four certificates, and this is an ongoing process,” he said.
Maheya explained that the council had assigned a staff member to compile applications for the certificates, which are then submitted to the Ministry of Health and Child Care for approval.
“I wouldn’t know the exact backlog off-hand, but what happens is we compile the applications and send them to our line ministry, the Ministry of Health, for approval. Once the ministry approves, they send them back to us, and we process the certificates,” he said.
“We usually take a day or two to process and issue the certificate.”
The press statement, Maheya noted, was prompted by calls from the Nurses Councils of the UK and Ireland seeking verification of Zimbabwean nurses working in their countries.
“We had calls from the Nurses Councils in the UK and Ireland, which wanted to verify the nurses in their countries, and we provided them with a list of nurses holding authentic certificates of good standing. Those with fake certificates would be barred from working as nurses in those countries,” Maheya said.
A Certificate of Good Standing is a legal document that verifies a nurse’s professional reputation and conduct within the community. In Zimbabwe, it is a highly sought-after document, as it significantly enhances a nurse’s chances of securing employment on the international market.
