Most of us know that in South Africa today, we have too few doctors. In fact, the Department of Health is, to a large degree, under-resourced.
Unlike any other professions, it appears that the employment of medical professionals in South Africa is the problem and not the supply of medical professionals.
The reality is many thousands of our nurses, nurse aids, doctors and health practitioners leave the country annually to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Most of the professionals have been trained at enormous expense in South Africa.
Our universities and training colleges are world-class but are being denuded by the fiscus and the inability of our government to sustain institutions of excellence. The sad state of our training institutions and universities has been highlighted for the past 10 years, to no avail.
The Ministry of Health has raised the issue with the Ministry of Education, but it appears that the government has been, to a large degree, hamstrung by the enormous amount of theft and state capture, leaving it unable to keep our institutions properly funded and resourced.
The sad tale of hollowing out our state institutions is repeated throughout the system and it appears that we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. The institutions are desperately trying to cut their expenses but at the same time, it is affecting the output and the quality of the people graduating.
We have a bizarre situation where our Department of Foreign Affairs is taking taxpayers’ money to send many of the future doctors and other healthcare professionals to foreign jurisdictions such as Russia, Ukraine and even Cuba. The enormous expenses include visas, large monthly stipends, accommodation and multiple flights. The education gained in the foreign jurisdictions does not even match what we can offer from our denuded institutions right here at home in South Africa. The real problem is then exacerbated.
When they return, many can’t even get to write exams and/or practice here. It is notoriously a nightmare for the returning doctors to be able to embark upon their careers. The situation is going from bad to worse. Many of the unsuspecting students who have returned spend their time sitting at home. They find themselves unemployed and have limited opportunities.
In speaking to a few of these future doctors, they have indicated a feeling of hopelessness and, to a large degree, are despondent. There are few schemes open to them and many can sit for years before being able to practise their profession.
Remember that doctors are desperately needed in our system. Even the Health Professions Council of South Africa doesn’t seem to be able to do anything. Some of the universities have come forward to try to establish medical faculties but it doesn’t appear that our government has the money to support them.
One should enquire why the government is willing to spend enormous money sending the students elsewhere when the money could be spent here at home, thereby facilitating proper training internally. Many of the graduates from abroad do try to sit for the exams here but the inadequate training received abroad has left them incapable of passing.
I have regular contact with nurses in South Africa who are paid a pittance and who answer adverts from abroad to be able to practise their profession elsewhere. Some of the nurses are reporting that they are paid anything up to five times their salary and are given better terms and conditions of employment. The hospitals they work in, in foreign jurisdictions, are far superior to the conditions they are subjected to here in South Africa. Again, these are nurses who are trained in South Africa at enormous expense and are needed here.
It is a crying shame that professionals such as these are so badly treated by our civil service. All this needs to change as soon as possible. Hopefully, a new government will recognise the folly of the past 30 years and will do everything in its power to properly facilitate and enumerate the professionals and build our institutions of excellence once again.
* Michael Bagraim is a labour lawyer and DA MP.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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