The DA has again been inundated with calls from young doctors needing placement for their community service year, after being left in the lurch by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), says Michele Clarke, DA shadow minister of health in PoliticsWeb.
Every year leading up to January and July, many young doctors either get placed too late or not at all, despite jumping through all of the HPCSA hoops, says Clarke.
In answer to a written parliamentary question from the DA, Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla said the Health Department had secured placements for all 2 530 doctors in October.
But, says Clarke, this begs the question, why are there still community service doctors struggling with assistance from the HPCSA?
Historically, the blame has been shifted to the doctors for apparently not applying on time or choosing to defer, so that they can placed at a preferred facility. But this does not account for the many who do apply on time and would willingly be placed in any of the country’s health facilities.
Every year thousands of medical students and interns work incredibly hard so that they can, one day, serve their communities as doctors.
“And if these they do get placed, they face unemployment after almost a decade of training, because the department does not ensure that budget is allocated to the filling of vacancies.
“The DA calls on Minister Phaahla to put his money where his mouth is and personally ensure that all community service doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and other personnel, are placed on time, with the support they require,” writes Clarke.
PoliticsWeb article – Department of Health failing young doctors (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
More doctors employed in 2023 than last year – Phaahla
Young doctors face uncertainty over placement in state hospitals
Are doctors turning down rural community service posts being ‘picky’?