A three-week protest by unemployed doctors has ended in KwaZulu-Natal after Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli pledged to create more than 50 new posts in the province, reports News24.
Spokesperson for the Unemployed Doctors’ Task Team Dr Thamsanqa Zakwe said the Premier had told them the posts would be in addition to the 1 200 new doctor posts announced by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in April.
Ntuli had met a delegation comprising representatives of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), the Employed Doctors Committee, and the Unemployed Doctors’ Task Team on Friday, and confirmed the commitment to the more than 50 medical doctor posts announced as part of a phased plan.
Zakwe said the three-week picket outside the Premier’s Pietermaritzburg headquarters had taken a significant toll on the unemployed doctors’ well-being, but “it has become apparent that extreme dedication and perseverance are often required to elicit a response from the government”.
Ntuli was apparently exploring funding options outside the Department of Health to support the initiative, he added, and a follow-up meeting would take place by the end of July.
SAMA chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said Ntuli had outlined several steps his office was taking to resolve the issue, including “direct engagements with President Cyril Ramaphosa and the reprioritisation of provincial funds to facilitate the absorption of qualified doctors into the public healthcare system”.
Ntuli’s spokesperson, Lindelani Mbatha, said the province faced a R6.3bn deficit exacerbated by:
- Equitable share cuts: R21bn lost since 2019/20. Medical inflation is outpacing budget growth. Health budgets have grown below CPI and medical inflation rates, creating unsustainable shortfalls;
- Unfunded wage agreements: the 2023 national wage agreement imposed R875m in carry-through costs for 2024/25;
- Flood disasters: R875m in infrastructure damage diverted critical funds from staffing; and
- Donor funding uncertainty, with R1.462bn in US donor funding at risk, is compounding budgetary pressures.
“KwaZulu-Natal Health requires annual funding of R60.8bn and a once-off bailout of R6.3bn to address legacy debts, including R2.5bn owed to the National Health Laboratory since 2021,” Mbatha added.
Immediate interventions include the Premier reallocating funds to Health, starting with the advertising of medical posts – at least 20 for medical doctors – and as there is also a need for nurses, pharmacists, and support staff, additional posts will be funded and advertised in the coming weeks.
SAMA confirmed that the first 20 posts have already been advertised. All posts are advertised publicly via the KwaZulu-Natal eRecruitment system. Government recruitment processes will be followed strictly, and SAMA representatives will be informed about the progress of the selection panels.
The Premier acknowledged the more than 150 unemployed doctors in KZN and the dire 0.4 doctors per 1 000 patient ratio.
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