More than a hundred doctors across the country who have completed their community service at state facilities are unemployed and in dire need of being placed at health care centres.
According to a Cape Argus report, the South African Medical Association (Sama) has confirmed it is in possession of a list of 130 names of post-community service medical officers who have not been able to secure employment for this year.
Sama vice-chair Professor Mark Sonderup said there appeared to be a problem with the number of posts in the Health Department versus the number of medical doctors coming through the system. “There is an increasing capacity of productive workers, but the current system is unable to accommodate everyone. We need to increase the uptake of positions in the system,” said Sonderup.
The report quotes a Durban-based doctor, Kris Goodwin, whose community service contract ended at the end of December as saying he had been applying for positions at different hospitals since October but had not been able to secure a job. “I have been to several interviews, the interviews are a success but hospitals interested in me are unable to send out letters of appointment. “The hospital human resources departments say they don’t have the budget or the post has been frozen,” said Goodwin. He said at least two hospitals had shown interest and the head of department at one the hospitals had told him that posts were being frozen.
But the report says that Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s spokesperson, Joe Maila, denied that posts were being frozen, saying doctors were not taking up posts in areas where there was a need. “The Department of Health wants doctors to work in our facilities and will ensure that every doctor is placed. "We have a problem where people do not want to go where the need is and they threaten that they will remain unemployed. There is no freezing of posts. Doctors will get their posts,” said Maila.
Junior Doctors Association of South Africa's doctor Zahid Badroodien, said his office had received 122 names of post-community service doctors who sought employment. “It is not simple enough to say doctors are picky. Doctors are willing to work in any setting, but the department should communicate early about the areas in which they want to place the doctors. You cannot call them one week before 1 January. This situation is going to lead to facilities being undermanned, overburdened… and we can’t be sure that the number of patients will decrease,” Badroodien is quoted in the report as saying.
Sonderup said Motsoaledi and his department had shown an interest in resolving the placement issue. "There is a need for more people on the job, Sonderup said in the report.
[link url="http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/doctors-left-in-limbo-after-community-service-7325300"]Cape Argus report[/link]