Tell-Tall Signs of Voice and Exit’s Hirschman Theory in this Digital Age: Analysis of the Zimbabwean Healthcare Sector

The Zimbabwean healthcare sector has faced a challenging shortage of health professionals in recent days. This study investigates the phenomenon of health professionals leaving the country, and to understand the situation, this review used (Hirschman, Exit, voice, and loyalty: Responses to decline in firms, organizations, and states, Harvard University Press, 1970) voice and exit theory. The researchers took advantage of the digital age and obtained relevant reports on the internet; after a vigorous selection process, the six most relevant reports on Zimbabwean health professionals were selected and analysed in this review. The findings indicate that Hirschman’s theory applies to understanding the employment relations in the Zimbabwean healthcare sector. The data shows that Zimbabwean health professionals used their voices to challenge the status quo before leaving the country. However, the evidence from the data obtained highlighted that these health professionals had no option but to exit the country since the Zimbabwean government’s reaction was powerful and gave no room for active voice behaviours. However, this study recommends the Zimbabwean government consider allowing some voices in the healthcare sector to get a meaningful chance to sort the situation in this sector, as the reports will always be available due to this digital age. Despite limitations in this study, such as the limited data used, the findings are valid, although future researchers should consider larger samples to get an in-depth understanding of the employment relationship in the Zimbabwean healthcare sector.