Tshwane – Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Thursday said there are more than 100 posts for medical doctors in the public sector, despite reports of numerous health practitioners who have completed internships and community service but are still seeking jobs.
"This category [of doctors past their community service phase] has caused a lot of confusion in the media and amongst members of the public. There is misconception that the state has a statutory obligation for them, like interns and community service," Motsoaledi told reporters in Pretoria.
He said after completing their community service, doctors have various options.
They can return to university to specialise, venture into private practice or enter the private health industry, for example, working for medical aid schemes and pharmaceutical companies.
Others leave the country. "When they do all these, they have no obligation to inform the department of health, so they have no way of knowing them or their numbers. However, if they wish to remain in the public sector, we have at least 147 posts available for them," said Motsoaledi.
"So the 135 doctors quoted in the media who are said to be without jobs may contact us because we don't know them. We can advise them of the available posts. It is up to them to choose from amongst these, but they can't claim to be unemployed."
Motsoaledi said since the beginning of 2017, his department has been inundated with media queries about doctors and pharmacists who could not get employment in the public service because the government allegedly failed to place them into posts, or alternatively failed to create the posts.
He said the other category of medical practitioners singled out in the media reports are doctors who have just graduated from medical schools around the country.
They have to do statutory internship for two years. "There are still 45 positions of internships available," said Motsoaledi.
He said 22 South African interns placed in jobs declined to accept the posts.
"Reasons for declining always vary – they range from marriage, family responsibility, medical conditions, religion to owning expensive property in a particular geographic location.
"Despite trying very hard, the department is not always in a position to accommodate all the needs," said Motsoaledi.
He said some of the names on a list of "unemployed" doctors compiled by the Junior Doctors Association of SA (Judasa) had duplicates of names and included the junior doctors who have turned down placements.
"We have found that 13 doctors who are on that list are duplicates, 12 are part of the 22 who have declined placement and nine did not apply as required. The remainder are foreign nationals who have not yet been placed because we have to complete South Africans first," said Motsoaledi.