Long-time locum doctors at Durban's Mahatma Gandhi Hospital are spitting mad at a KZN Health's decision to employ them on a month-to-month basis.
They warn that the hospital could suffer a shortage of experienced staff‚ leaving patient care in disarray. The Times reports.
Almost 24 doctors – whom all had fixed term contracts with the department – are affected by the decision‚ and have warned that it would impact on severely on patient care and result in an exodus of experienced staff.
The report says Mahatma Gandhi has regularly made headlines for the wrong reasons. Last year it was affected by a Klebsiella outbreak in which ten babies were infected‚ one of which died.
The doctors were recently informed via e-mail by hospital management that the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department had taken a decision to convert "all sessional posts into full time medical officer posts". "A motivation has been forwarded to the CEO requesting for the retention of all sessional medical officers. At present once your current contract expires you will be appointed on a month to month contract‚" the letter stated.
Doctors‚ who refused to be identified‚ said the decision would create job instability and a loss of income as there were no state posts currently available. "It will lead to disillusionment for doctors who remained faithful to the state for so many years and stabilised the critical in the hospital‚ are now being discarded‚ in spite of their willingness to continue work‚" said one affected doctor‚ who asked not to be named.
"In terms of patient care there will be longer waits‚ loss of valuable expertise and experienced doctors – almost all sessional doctors have more than five-years experience‚ and some up to 10 to 15 years." Another affected doctor said some doctors would consider leaving "because of the instability of the position".
"They need sessional doctors otherwise the hospital would be in chaos and thus affect patient care." Health Separtment spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi is quoted in the report as saying: "It is not the policy of the department to discuss publicly internal labour relations matters or decisions‚ as these are between the employer and employee."
[link url="http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2017/02/15/Staff-shortage-looms-at-Durban-hospital%E2%80%9A-doctors-warn"]The Times report[/link]