Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says the department does not have money to hire doctors.
Earlier this week, unemployed doctors in the Eastern Cape picketed outside Premier Oscar Mabuyane's office to demand jobs after their community service contracts ended on December 31.
Motsoaledi acknowledged there was a need for more doctors but said due to budget cuts, the department could not afford to hire them.
“Yes, there is a shortage of doctors in 90% of the world. We know that very well, but to hire them needs resources,” he said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
“In our country, we have serious austerity measures and crippling budget cuts. That affects not only our capacity to hire doctors but also to perform quite a large number of functions.
“We do agree with the grievances of doctors, but in the final analysis you cannot give a job for which you don't have the means to pay such people.”
He said the department was discussing this issue with the Treasury.
The South African Medical Association (Sama) has called on the government to provide immediate employment to doctors who have completed their community service. However, Motsoaledi said the government is not obliged to do so.
“After community service, you are a free person, you are a fully-fledged doctor and you can go anywhere. If the state advertises posts you can apply. If the post is in the private sector you can apply. If you want to open your own private practice you can do so. If you want to work elsewhere you can do anything. Now I hear words like absorption. After community service, there is nothing like absorption. You apply for a job like any other job seeker or graduate.”
He said there's no special treatment for unemployed doctors, citing the overall high unemployment rate in the country.
“I personally am a doctor, I am a minister, and I would like people to get employed but I do not want to give the impression that there is a special deal for some people because they are doctors. We also have unemployed nurses, unemployed social workers, all of them unfortunately because of austerity measures and budgetary constraints.”
TimesLIVE
'You can't hire people you can't pay': Motsoaledi says government has no money to hire unemployed doctors
Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says the department does not have money to hire doctors.
Earlier this week, unemployed doctors in the Eastern Cape picketed outside Premier Oscar Mabuyane's office to demand jobs after their community service contracts ended on December 31.
Motsoaledi acknowledged there was a need for more doctors but said due to budget cuts, the department could not afford to hire them.
“Yes, there is a shortage of doctors in 90% of the world. We know that very well, but to hire them needs resources,” he said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
“In our country, we have serious austerity measures and crippling budget cuts. That affects not only our capacity to hire doctors but also to perform quite a large number of functions.
“We do agree with the grievances of doctors, but in the final analysis you cannot give a job for which you don't have the means to pay such people.”
He said the department was discussing this issue with the Treasury.
The South African Medical Association (Sama) has called on the government to provide immediate employment to doctors who have completed their community service. However, Motsoaledi said the government is not obliged to do so.
“After community service, you are a free person, you are a fully-fledged doctor and you can go anywhere. If the state advertises posts you can apply. If the post is in the private sector you can apply. If you want to open your own private practice you can do so. If you want to work elsewhere you can do anything. Now I hear words like absorption. After community service, there is nothing like absorption. You apply for a job like any other job seeker or graduate.”
He said there's no special treatment for unemployed doctors, citing the overall high unemployment rate in the country.
“I personally am a doctor, I am a minister, and I would like people to get employed but I do not want to give the impression that there is a special deal for some people because they are doctors. We also have unemployed nurses, unemployed social workers, all of them unfortunately because of austerity measures and budgetary constraints.”
TimesLIVE
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