Deputy health minister Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has assured jobless KwaZulu-Natal doctors who protested at the provincial health offices that the ministry has plans to address their unemployment woes.
Dhlomo was on Monday addressing about 200 doctors in Pietermaritzburg who decried the department’s failure to place hundreds of newly qualified medical professionals in hospitals, saying there was no budget to hire them.
He said health minister Joe Phaahla would address the issue in parliament on Tuesday after meeting with the finance minister over the issue.
“The first item on his speech would be to address the issue of unemployment,” said Dhlomo.
He said some doctors were so desperate that they asked to be employed voluntarily.
“We can’t do that because the law does not allow that. We should also realise that doctor numbers did not just increase, there was an increase in university intakes coupled with the doctors who had studied in Cuba,” said Dhlomo.
He said 10 years ago the country was producing 1,200 graduates, but now the number has doubled.
He said he was mindful the newly trained doctors had incurred thousands in debt and needed to be employed to pay this back.
The deputy health minister said budget cuts had also strained the department's planning efforts.
“Should we stop buying food for the patients? Should we not buy a new ambulance? We therefore err on the side of decreasing on human resources, including the doctors,” said Dhlomo.
Dr Siyabonga Shozi, part of the newly formed committee to deal with unemployment, said their woes were worrisome and unacceptable.
“Doctors should find space in government hospitals because that is where there is critical need. All doctors who were removed from contracts like in Limpopo and bursary holder should be given work which they were promised,” said Shozi.
The committee was formed last month.
He said according to a survey undertaken, more than 825 doctors were without work, with 160 attributed to KZN.
“The number is likely to increase,” said Shozi.
The doctors handed a memorandum to the health department with a list of grievances including putting an end to shift work and reviewing human-resource processes to reduce patient waiting times.
He said with government having set targets of increasing life expectancy to more than 70 years for females and males, there ought to be posts for skilled, committed and competent individuals and development of primary health care system through district health servers.
The memorandum also addresses the struggles shared by the health allied profession officials, who include nurses, dentists and pharmacists, who face the same fate and should be offered permanent employment with benefits.
Shozi rejected the suggestion that some of the qualified doctors shunned rural placements.
“Well, that is false, and we reject that perception with all the contempt that it deserves. The fact of the matter is that there are currently no positions. Maybe that was the case,” said Shozi.
He said some of his colleagues had to cut back on their budgets and sell their cars and houses.
“It is a challenge because some have had to move back home. This also takes a toll on the families because you must remember, we have extended families that we support,” said Shozi.
He maintained that health care was also critical in bolstering the economy.
Doctors also told of their plight to find work.
“Sometimes I just regret having studied to be a doctor,” said Mpumalanga doctor Thakgalo Thibeli, 25.
Thibeli, who was the country's youngest doctor, completed her community service at Mapulaneng Hospital in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.
“It is hospital I was born in and where I gained valuable experience. I remember even nearing the end of my comm service I approached a clinical manager if there was a chance to keep me on, but there was not a chance,” said Thibeli.
She said she has applied to 50 hospitals nationally.
Dr Sunhera Sukdeo, who was accompanied by her mother to the protest, said she was in limbo.
“I have not been able to find work despite having gone through an interview. I want to give back and later on specialise in paediatrics because I love working with children,” said Sukdeo.
She completed her community service at St Mary’s Hospital in Marianhill after interning at RK Khan.
Sukdeo’s mum Andhisha said they were worried about their financial situation.
“My daughter is the eldest of four siblings, who are also now studying. We were hoping that she would get a job and help us because we don’t come from a wealthy family. She did help in the past three years,” she said.
She said she had worked hard during her studies and deserved to be employed and reaping the benefits.
Another doctor, Pamela Jali, has had to rely on the 40-hour locum jobs that sometimes come her way through referrals.
“They are not sufficient, and it’s costly to get into private practice, and anyways, I want to serve and give back to my community through work in overcrowded hospitals,” she said.
PSA provincial manager Mlungisi Ndlovu criticised government for its failure to foresee the crisis, saying unfilled vacant posts cut across different job titles at health institutions.
“There are people who are in power to ensure the budget is available, instead they only wait for the National Treasury. What are they doing to mobilise funds in the country and outside?” said Ndlovu.
He also called on the business community to come to the rescue of some of the health workers.
He questioned how more than R200bn was released during Covid-19, but the same could not be done to alleviate this crisis.
“We are now running in the risk of losing these doctors to foreign countries. These youngsters want to serve the country, it took them six years to study,” Ndlovu said.
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