Staff shortage looms at Durban hospital‚ doctors warn

Durban's controversy-plagued Mahatma Gandhi Hospital could suffer a shortage of experienced staff‚ leaving patient care in disarray.

This is according to long-time locum doctors‚ who are spitting mad at a health department decision to employ them on a month-to-month basis.

Almost 24 doctors - who all had fixed term contracts with the department - are affected by the decision‚ and have warned that it would impact on severely on patient care and result in an exodus of experienced staff.

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Mahatma Gandhi has regularly made headlines for the wrong reasons. Last year it was affected by a Klebsiella outbreak in which ten babies were infected‚ one of which died.

 Klebsiella is a multi-drug resistant bacteria which can result in life threatening illnesses such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections. The doctors were recently informed via e-mail by hospital management that the KwaZulu-Natal health department had taken a decision to convert "all sessional posts into full time medical officer posts".

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"A motivation has been forwarded to the CEO requesting for the retention of all sessional medical officers. At present once your current contract expires you will be appointed on a month to month contract‚" the letter stated.

Doctors‚ who refused to be identified‚ said the decision would create job instability and a loss of income as there were no state posts currently available.

"It will lead to disillusionment for doctors who remained faithful to the state for so many years and stabilised the critical in the hospitak‚ are now being discarded‚ in spite of their willingness to continue work‚" said one affected doctor‚ who asked not to be named.

 "In terms of patient care there will be longer waits‚ loss of valuable expertise and experienced doctors - almost all sessional doctors have more than five years experience‚ and some up to 10 to 15 years." Another affected doctor said some doctors would consider leaving "because of the instability of the position".

"They need sessional doctors otherwise the hospital would be in chaos and thus affect patient care." Health department spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi said: "It is not the policy of the department to discuss publicly internal labour relations matters or decisions‚ as these are between the employer and employee."

- TMG Digital/The Times