Durban — Hundreds of doctors in KwaZulu-Natal marched to premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube’s office in Pietermaritzburg to hand over a memorandum of their grievances about the high and rising numbers of unemployed doctors.
The march, organised by the South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu), was also held in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Free State.
Samatu said they had engaged with the relevant authorities extensively, including the National Department of Health, where a list of unemployed doctors was submitted.
They claimed that the National Department of Health had committed to finding employment for doctors.
Samatu KZN chairperson Dr Sibahle Khumalo said they had not received a positive response from the authorities and many doctors were still unemployed. She said while it was undebatable that most state hospitals are grossly understaffed, this was negatively affecting the quality of health-care services provided to patients, contributing immensely to the burnout of those currently in employment.
“The number of doctors employed by the government is not enough. Over 1 000 doctors who did community service in rural areas are sitting at home,” she said.
A doctor from Durban in Mount Moriah, who was doing community service last year in the Eastern Cape in Bizana, Ntokozo Maphanga, said the hospital she was working in was servicing 22 clinics and there were 14 doctors there. Moreover, she said there was a lack of resources.
“My contract ended on December 31 and they told us there were no posts, no money and no funds. I left there when I could see they needed me because there is a shortage of doctors,” said Maphanga.
She added that things are not easy as she is the eldest sibling and has a 4-year-old child she needs to take care of.
Khumalo said they were also marching on behalf of those patients who have to wait five hours just to see a healthcare professional, and receive their high blood pressure medication.
In their list of demands they want:
• That all duly qualified and registered medical practitioners currently without employment be appointed to public health-care institutions within two weeks from Friday.
• That all vacant registrar posts be funded and filled within three months from Friday, and that in the filling of these posts, South Africans be prioritised.
• That all contracts of employment offered to doctors be permanent employment and non-shift work.
• That the second phase of OSD (occupation specific dispensations) negotiations be begun to review the salary structure and compensation of doctors inclusive of commuted overtime in the next round of negotiations.
Khumalo said they believed the state should use the scarcity of doctors and the lack of resources in hospitals as motivation to employ more doctors.
Doctors demanded a written response addressed to Samatu by February 27.
Daily News