Phaahla did not keep his promise, says unemployed doctor

Health Minister Joe Phaahla did not keep his promise to employ young unemployed doctors in public hospitals by 1 April and now one of those doctors has decided that he and his wife will move to the UK next year to specialise and work there.

When we spoke to the doctor, who completed his community service year in 2023 just more than a month ago, he was still hoping to be employed in a public hospital, although he already had to make plans to sell his car because he could not afford to pay for it anymore.

Just three days later, Phaahla announced during the State of the Nation debate that his department and National Treasury had found the solution to the crisis of unemployed doctors.

“I am pleased to announce today that we are working with my colleague, finance minister Enoch Godongwana. We have found a solution to the current difficulty of employing doctors who want to work in the public service.”

The doctor, who wants to remain anonymous to avoid being targeted, says not much came from the minister’s promise. After applying for 25 posts at public hospitals, he was called for one interview a month ago, where he was one of six doctors on the shortlist. He has heard nothing back.

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Nobody becomes a doctor thinking you will be unemployed

He does not know of one other unemployed doctor who got a post and says it is not even a case of discrimination: white and black unemployed doctors are not being employed.

“I never once thought that one day I would be an unemployed doctor. I have skills that I worked for over the past nine years and I am sitting at home. My friends who became engineers and lawyers all have jobs and are doing well. I am still thinking of selling my car because I have no income.”

His wife is completing her year of community service and he says they have now decided to get their qualifications in order to be able to work in the UK next year. They love South Africa and do not want to leave, but they have no choice, he says.

“We have no other choice and will specialise there. In three years’ time, when we are qualified, we will reconsider to see if we can come back and work here or go and work in another country.”

Although Phaahla previously said that the problem was that young doctors do not want to work in rural areas, this doctor and his wife are prepared to go and work anywhere in the rural areas, yet they cannot find jobs in any public hospital.

The doctor knows of qualified doctors who are even offering to go and work in public hospitals for free, but they are turned down despite them being prepared to work in a system where babies have to be delivered without the doctors having access to sterile gloves, or doctors have to decide which patients “deserve” a CT scan.

He says there is no communication from the department of health, but there is a lot of rumours about salary cuts and overtime.

“I feel let down. The minister did not keep his promise that everyone who wants to work in a government hospital will be employed by 1 April.”