Zimbabwe riot police broke up protests by doctors, nurses and union members yesterday and the death toll from a cholera epidemic blamed on the country's spiralling crisis jumped to 565.

Trade unions have called protests over a shortage of increasingly worthless cash while at least 100 health workers protested to demand better pay and conditions at a time they are fighting Zimbabwe's worst cholera outbreak on record. The once relatively prosperous economy has collapsed and any hope of rescue is on hold while veteran President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai are deadlocked over implementing a power-sharing arrangement.

Riot police with shields and batons broke up a group of about 20 demonstrators marching towards the central bank.

Across town, police dispersed about 100 health workers who had converged outside the Health Ministry.

Public hospitals have largely shut down due to drug and equipment shortages, as well as frequent strikes by doctors and nurses pressing for better pay. They have been ill-equipped to cope with the cholera outbreak.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said cholera had killed 565 people and infected more than 12,500 Zimbabweans.

Hundreds of Zimbabweans have fled to South Africa for treatment, adding to pressure for greater regional involvement to pull Zimbabwe back from total meltdown. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions said 69 demonstrators, including General Secretary Wellington Chibebe, were arrested, while nine protesters were beaten and injured by police. Mr Chibebe and more than a dozen others were later released.

Police were not immediately available for comment.

The labour federation, the country's largest, added that its leadership would meet Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono to discuss the cash crunch at banks.

Despite new measures announced by the central bank to issue higher denomination bank notes and increase the availability of money, there were still long lines outside banks as shoppers jostled to get cash.

Yesterday's protests follow unprecedented clashes between soldiers and Zimbabweans on Monday. Dozens of unarmed soldiers were involved in running battles with mobs and riot police after seizing cash from vendors and illegal foreign currency traders.