Cape Town - The junior Doctors Association of SA (Judasa) has alleged more than 300 medical interns could be without work next year following budget cuts.
Judasa chairman Dr Zahid Badroodien said out of about 1 700 interns that need placement in various hospitals from early next year, there was still no guarantee the 307 applicants who required placement would find spots.
This comes in the wake of provinces being told by the national government to limit the number of funded posts.
DA spokesman on health Wilmot James claimed he had requested a meeting with Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi to obtain clarity on how he would fix the medical intern placement debacle.
James claims the online application process, which was used for the first time this year, had software glitches.
He said students with special requirements were not considered first so that their circumstances would be taken into account.
Badroodien said while there were technical glitches with the online system, the 307 interns who still required placement in the third round of applications “is not as a result of an erroneous placement system, rather it is as a result of provinces being instructed to limit the number of funded posts which have been accredited by the HPCSA (Health Professions Council of SA)”.
“Judasa’s position remains clear: we call upon the department to reprioritise funding so as to ensure more health professionals are employed and not to filter money away from employing critical resources in the health system,” he said.
While 1 154 interns of the 1 628 who applied online had been successfully placed after the first round and review process, Badroodien said 474 applicants still required placement.
He said the association was, however, surprised to find there were 167 posts available at the beginning of the second round; a situation that would leave 307 interns without jobs.
But the department has distanced itself from the claims it won’t place all its medical interns.
Motsoaledi's spokesman, Joe Maila, said the allegations by Judasa and the DA were baseless.
“We have said over and over again that there is no moratorium on doctor posts. The latest claims are not factual at all. No medical intern will be without employment next year,” he said.
“The problem here is the backlog of considerations the department has had to deal with.
“They were not able to inform all failed first rounders of the need for them to apply in the second round which caused much anxiety and confusion,” Badroodien said.
He also criticised the department for its failure to comply with its own deadlines and not communicating effectively with applicants throughout the process.
Cape Argus