Cape Town - As Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla yesterday said hundreds of unplaced doctors would be funded to work at hospitals across the country by April 1, Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo welcomed 60 firstyear interns and 13 community service doctors at Groote Schuur Hospital.
Speaking in Parliament during the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate, Phaahla announced that together with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, they would address the current challenge of doctors who wanted to stay in the public sector but were not offered funded posts.
He said the details of the placements would be provided during Godongwana’s Budget Speech next Wednesday.
“Our national team is working with the National Treasury team to thrash out the details. It is also working with provincial health departments to speed up the process so that by April 1, 2024, all those not already in posts can be able to start. I am confident that, with this certainty, provinces will be able to start giving appointment letters even before April 1, 2024.
“I am sorry to disappoint all those political parties who were hoping to cash in on the disappointment of the doctors,” said Phaahla.
DA spokesperson on Health, Michele Clarke, said they waited with bated breath for Godongwana’s announcement.
“Many promises have been made in the past. It would really be interesting to see what the minister would say next week. As they say, seeing is believing,” said Clarke.
Earlier this week, the Department of Health said it did not have money to employ almost 800 doctors.
As a result, doctors took to the streets in Pietermaritzburg on Monday to protest against the government’s decision. They called for the employment of all doctors and allied healthcare workers who were available to work in the public health sector.
Meanwhile yesterday, Mbombo, welcomed the first-year interns at Groote Schuur Hospital.
This followed news that almost half of the medical officer posts in the medicine department were vacant at the hospital in addition to hundreds of other nursing and operational posts.
Mbombo said the allocated clinicians formed part of a total of 934 medical interns and community service doctors who were employed by the department.
“After completing one’s MBChB, graduates are required to complete two years of internships where they gain experience through supervised training in different specialities at our hospitals.
“Following the completion of this period, these doctors are then required to serve a compulsory one-year community service where they are predominantly placed in underprivileged areas. This is done to improve access to healthcare services for the residents in these communities,” said Mbombo.