Twenty nursing trainees have been dismissed from government and mission training institutions over the past five years after submitting forged Ordinary Level certificates, according to Douglas Mombeshora, the Minister of Ministry of Health and Child Care.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, Dr. Mombeshora said the dismissals followed verification audits that uncovered cases of academic fraud among trainee nurses.
The audit identified 14 Registered General Nurses and six Primary Care Nurses who had used fraudulent academic credentials. The highest number of cases were recorded at Mpilo Central Hospital and Chitungwiza Central Hospital, with each institution reporting three incidents.
Additional cases were also reported at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Silveira Mission Hospital.
Dr. Mombeshora explained that although the recruitment process requires verification of original certificates, sophisticated forgeries can sometimes pass initial checks. When a certificate is confirmed to be fake, the trainee is dismissed from the program and the case is referred to the police for further legal action
