Samatu condemns government inaction on unemployed doctors, warns of public healthcare crisis

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In just a day, Samatu has documented a staggering 450 doctors who have completed their community service and remain unemployed. This number is still increasing.

Samatu has over the years engaged the National Department of Health (NDoH) to highlight the dire consequences that the department's lack of strategy in retaining doctors post community service has on the public health system of our country.

Each year, successive Ministers of Health have acknowledged the gravity of this situation and the need to develop concrete strategies that would curb this issue from persisting. However, after so many years we are yet to see a plan from the NDoH which speaks to addressing this issue.

Neglecting rural doctors

It is undebatable that a significant number of these dedicated doctors hail from rural communities, pursuing medicine with the earnest intent of returning to serve the same communities.

The Department of Health invests substantial resources during the two-year internship and one-year community service, aiming to develop these doctors into practitioners that will deliver the necessary yet lacking quality healthcare services to the remote communities.

It is perplexing that the department, having made such considerable investments, neglects to nurture and retain these invaluable assets within the healthcare system. This oversight not only undermines the department's commitment to developing medical talent but also abandons the very communities that the NDoH is there to serve.

It is disheartening to hear the Minister of Health suggest that these doctors, as independent practitioners, should pivot to private practice or seek employment abroad. This is proof that our leaders, cushioned by the privileges of accessing top-tier private healthcare, fail to understand the urgency and gravity of these challenges.

Urgent action needed

It is also troubling that the Minister would make such reckless statements while his office is actively working on implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI). The success of the NHI hinges on strengthening human resources in public hospitals; the lack of urgency in addressing the strengthening of human resources in the public sector will make the implementation of the NHI impossible.

This disconnect only serves to deepen the divide between administrative decision-makers and our diligent medical professionals on the ground. This recommendation is an affront to these doctors who have tirelessly served the public sector under difficult conditions and remain committed to ensuring equitable healthcare access for all South Africans.

Samatu finds this notion wholly unacceptable and myopic, especially given the significant inequalities and limited coverage of private healthcare services in the country.

We urge the Ministry of Health to urgently develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to employ these skilled doctors, ensuring that their talents are not wasted but instead directed toward fortifying our healthcare system.

Samatu remains committed to collaborating with all relevant stakeholders to find solutions and address this challenge.