KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane announced yesterday that the department would be opening up 20 posts for unemployed doctors and advertising them within the next seven days – this after a sit-in by protesting jobless medics outside the KZN premier’s office in Pietermaritzburg since Monday.
The frustrated doctors had staged their third protest this year outside the Office of the Premier, demanding that provincial posts be advertised immediately, and an explanation for the delay in not doing so.
Their two previous protests had failed to deliver any positive outcomes, members of the organising committee for the sit-in, Zakwe and Nosihle Hlophe, told The Witness, saying the goal had been the posting of jobs and meaningful engagement with Simelane and Premier Thami Ntuli.
TimesLIVE reports that in April, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has said R1.78bn had been budgeted by the national department for 1 200 doctors’ posts, 200 nurses’ positions and 250 other vacancies.
And in March, Finance minister Enoch Godongwana said provision had been for 800 unemployed doctors during his Budget speech in March, before that budget was rejected.
Addressing the unemployed doctors on Wednesday, Ntuli said problems with budget processes at national level, which trickled down to provinces, were the main reason for the delay in employing them, and called for patience until the processes were concluded.
He said the posts announced by the national government were still in their hands and the provincial department could advertise them only after getting the go-ahead from head office.
“We want to make it clear those 800 posts form part of a national process, which is being handled at the level of the Ministers of Health, Finance and Parliament. KwaZulu-Natal, like all other provinces, will receive a portion of those posts. Once national has finalised that process and informed us how many posts we will receive, we will immediately advertise them.”
Simelane said the department had approached Ntuli for help with the unemployment challenge, and had also spoken to the Premier for assistance.
“That resulted in the 20 posts we will be advertising because that is what the province has. We will advertise in the next seven days.”
She said the financial struggles were rooted in the broader fiscal challenges which have led to significant budget cuts in provinces.
KwaZulu-Natal has lost more than R63bn in the past five years from its baseline budget, with the Health Department losing R14bn.
Ntuli said the challenges were inherited but the province was working hard to resolve them.
TimesLIVE article – KZN premier to create 20 posts for unemployed doctors (Restricted access)
The Witness article – Unemployed doctors protest over delayed job postings in KZN (Open access)
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