Too few anaesthesiologists are being trained in South Africa, which results in long waiting lists for emergency surgeries, unnecessary loss of life and higher prices for services in the private sector. The country was short of 1,300 anaesthesiologists in 2011, according to the Department of Health, said Natalie Zimmerman, CEO of the SA Society of Anaesthesiologists."We recognised five or six years ago we were short [of anaesthesiologists]," said Zimmerman."We have gone backwards since then."South Africa produces about 80 specialist anaesthesiologists a year.Zimmerman said many anaesthesiologists in private practice worked 18-hour shifts to complete surgeries.Many would prefer to work fewer hours and earn less but, Zimmerman said, doctors did not like to turn away patients needing help.Budgets for academic hospitals and training have been cut or remained stagnant, resulting in posts being frozen or fewer specialists being trained.Anaesthesiologist Sean Chetty, financial director of the society, said: "In many hospital departments staff have been told there will be no budget or staff increases for three years."In the public health sector, real-term budget cuts are having a real effect."Earlier this year the Gauteng health department released figures showing the number of patients on the waiting list for surgery had increased, with the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital having a waiting list of more than 2400 patients compared with about 1400 last year.This is because of the prioritisation of emergency cases, limited theatre capacity and staffing problems.The University of KwaZulu-Natal's medical school is training far fewer specialists than before.Zimmerman said: "A few years ago 60 anaesthesiologists were being trained over a four-year period at the UKZN medical school. Now 33 are being trained over four years."The health department denies that posts have been frozen.The society called for an increase in provincial training posts so universities including Stellenbosch, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State could train more specialists.Wits University trains 108 registrar anaesthesiologists in a four-year period, with an average of 27 graduating a year."This is more than the numbers of anaesthesiologists trained at Stellenbosch, UKZN and University of Free State combined," said head of department Chris Lundgren.Universities can only train registrars to become specialists when there are funded provincial posts for them to work and learn at academic hospitals...