Cape Town - South Africa’s public health-care system has once again been thrown into the spotlight, as doctor vacancies remain unfilled at public facilities.
The South African Medical Association (Sama), together with the South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu), have expressed concern about the compromise of healthcare quality, as hundreds of medical practitioners were unemployed.
Last week, hundreds of unemployed health-care practitioners affiliated with Samatu embarked on marches in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, demanding to be absorbed into clinics and hospitals.
A demonstration that was also expected at Tygerberg Hospital was thwarted after Western Cape health officials called for engagements.
A list of demands includes that all qualified and registered medical practitioners be appointed to public health-care institutions within two weeks from last Thursday.
“All vacant registrar posts be funded and filled within three months from today; and that in the filling of these posts, South Africans be prioritised in all institutions in the country,” the union said.
Samatu’s general secretary, Dr. Cedric Sihlangu, said health-care facilities across South Africa were operating on skeleton staff.
“We all know the South African healthcare system has plunged into a crisis so we can’t then have doctors sitting at home when we know that we have a very strained doctor to patient ratio.
“The people that preside over the public healthcare system in this country do not subscribe to it. Almost 90% of the population could not afford private healthcare,” said Sihlangu.
Sama’s Employed Doctor's Forum national chairperson, Dr Akhtar Hussain, said the system was both in crisis mode and on the verge of collapsing.
He said competent leadership and accountability would save the system.
“Since 2017 we have been embarking on big strikes as Sama over the same issues, but there is still inadequate improvement when it comes to employing doctors and improving the healthcare system.
“Go to clinics and hospitals around 3pm, queues are still long or doctors can only be seen late in the afternoon due to the huge shortage of doctors, so it’s really the poor who suffer.
“Many doctors are resigning because of the pressures and are going abroad.
“This is leading to more staff shortages because the department won’t replace that person but instead, close that space and say zero vacancy.
“They hide vacancies so there is not much transparency.
“The few that are left are over-burdened and burned out, so the environment gets toxic.
“This means quality healthcare cannot be offered.
“This also contributes to elective surgery backlogs.
“Every province is affected by this,” said Hussain.
He said corruption and litigation was also another issue.
Western Cape Health spokesperson Maret Lesch said concerns about the unemployment of doctors had to be addressed by the national department of health.
According to Lesch, there were 51 medical officer posts in the province for doctors who recently completed their community service.
She said they were in the process of applying for available positions in the department.
“They have just qualified and are thus only capable of applying for employment now.
“They will be appointed based on a recruitment process and guided by the number of positions available to newly qualified doctors.
“Currently there are 51 vacant posts in the province.
“The recruitment process is in various stages, with some positions already filled,” said Lesch.
The department's Byron La Hoe said all the vacant posts for interns were filled.
“These placements are done nationally from a central database by the department of health.
“Those who are still unplaced via the national process are encouraged to alert the national department of health of this issue.
“The Western Cape has 983 funded medical officer posts, 48 of which are unfilled, but are at various stages of the recruitment process,” he said.
National Health Department spokesperson, Foster Mohale, would on Sunday only confirm receiving a memorandum from Samatu when asked about the department's plans to fill vacancies, and the total number of posts.
“The Department of Health has received a memorandum from the leadership of the union and we will respond to them accordingly,” he said.
Cape Times