Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even the days of your fathers? Joel 1:2
It is a complete paradox and confusion to join the world in celebrating the world mental health day every year, while we as a nation we practice indirect refusal of those with mental challenges and their families to access professional services from psychologists via psychologists job freezes within government’s ministry of health. As we call for the unfreezing of mental health posts within the government of the republic of Zimbabwe it is imperative that we restate that 1% of the world’s population suffer from issues of psychosis ‘schizophrenia’ as from the statistics of the World Health Organisation WHO. It is also important to note that in Zimbabwe approximately 135000 (Dr S Chirisa Herald: 1 February 2018) suffer from schizophrenia challenges.
Complete and Competently Staffed Mental Health Services
Pertinent issues extant that the government of the day need to answer are about the current job freeze in the health sector. The government of Zimbabwe should answer who are the beneficiaries of job freeze in the health sector? Are citizen’s mental health issues being sacrificed for expediency that government save monies? Is saving money of greater importance than mental health issues? Our health system especially mental health issues are in critical shortage of psychological staff with most psychiatric units operating without psychologists a case which is totally unacceptable as there would be no full rehabilitation of people living with mental health challenges without the professional expertise of the psychologists. Hence in most cases it would be an issue of people being incarcerated in mental health institutions without professional psychological service being given, which in actual fact depict mental health institutions as gaols than health care service providers. The citizens of this nation deserve proper mental health services which are constituted by all mental health practioners who include psychologists. It is a constitutional right as stated in the constitution of Zimbabwe amendment No 20 (2013) section 29 subsection (1) “ The state must take all practical measures to ensure the provision of basic, accessible and adequate health services throughout Zimbabwe”. In most hospitals there is complete absence of psychologists and in some which are very few the institutions are heavily understaffed a situation which completely falls very far from fulfilling the constitutional obligation of providing adequate health services throughout Zimbabwe.
Psychologists Should Have Gainful Employment
The issues which government should also acknowledge and seek to rectify is its duty to provide employment and the citizens rights to be employed in gainful employment which provide dignified living. Constitution of Zimbabwe amendment No 20 (2013) section 24 subsection (1) reads: The state and all institutions and agencies of government at every level must adopt reasonable policies and measures, within the limits of the resources available to them, to provide everyone with an opportunity to work in a freely chosen activity, in order to secure a decent living for themselves and their families. Hence the continual job freeze on psychological posts denies psychologists the opportunity to work in a freely chosen activity as stated in the constitution. Psychologists as citizens of Zimbabwe have the right to be gainfully employed in their nations and in this case Zimbabwe. It is retrogressive in a nation were jobs are truly there but for some reasons which are not sound they are put on a freeze. It goes against the aspirations of the constitution and that of the citizens of being afforded opportunities to work as psychologists, which is denial of opportunities to secure a decent living for themselves and their respective families. I urge that the government of Zimbabwe not to sacrifice its citizens and psychological professionals on the pretext of economic fundamentals, which militate against citizens mental health.
Hegemony Of Job Freeze
Notwithstanding that there has been an established job freeze stance by government, it is a public secret that government security sectors have been recruiting especially the police. The question that comes from such mundane policies are: what security threat are we facing that has forced suspension of recruitment in critical areas such as psychologists in the mental health services and favour recruitment of security forces and also are the threats being presented on us by statistics of 1% of our population being at risk of madness or psychosis of less threat to our national mental health than the illusive security threats which see our security sector ever recruiting security personnel?
The education sector has been recruiting and currently there has been a massive recruitment of new substantive heads and deputy heads, there has also been a continuous recruitment of teachers. It is from this background of activity that questions emerge of what is more important between mental health services and education? Notwithstanding the importance of education in raising a civilized society which is of great gain for the state and its development, mental health services are equally of more importance as these investments in education can be eroded to non significant level if mental health services are unattended and neglected by not employing mental health professionals like psychologists. Such negligence have far reaching negative consequences of manifesting themselves by raising the disability rate due to madness, thereby becoming an economic burden as there would be need for state funded social care.
Conclusion
And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,-Exodus 13:11

Prosper K Mushauri
Intern Counselling Psychologist