Health department looks for money to employ more doctors

With the current high unemployment rate among doctors, Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla says his department has approached the minister of finance for money to employ more – and retain the ones in service.

Rising number of unemployed graduates across many sectors

Phaahla said the rising number of unemployed graduates was being experienced across many sectors.

However, the department of health was working with National Treasury “to find creative ways to shield the healthcare service and the frontline workforce”.

“We are not in the best financial situation. We would have preferred a situation where we are able to provide opportunities for everybody who wants to serve in the public service,” he said.

“The intention is to check if there are areas where existing monies can be reassigned to enable the employment of more health professionals in the public health facilities.”

All graduates from medical school had to do a two-year internship in designated health facilities accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

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Once they had completed the internship, they were required to do one year of community service in facilities designated by the department of health, in consultation with provincial departments of health.

For community service, rural and township hospitals or marginalised areas were prioritised.

However, when doctors finished community service, there was no placement system. This resulted in qualified doctors emigrating.

‘Everything possible’ being done to secure funds

Phaahla said the issue of doctors who wished to stay in public service was a concern, but “everything possible” was being done to secure funds to fill vacant posts.

Unlike the internship and community service, which were a statutory requirement, once doctors had completed and exited their community service “they were free as independent practitioners” and the department of health did not have data of how many wanted to stay in the public service.

“Some will decide they want to specialise; others will want to go into private practice, while others will want to stay in public practice. Others join research institutions and do not proceed medical training,” he said.

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Important to look at the curriculum

Health expert and private practitioner Dr Angelique Coetzee said while there were not enough funded posts in public practice, it was important to look at the curriculum.

“It does not empower or give these youngsters the confidence to start a medical practice on their own,” she said.

“There should be more public-private interventions, where the government works with us in trying to get some of these youngsters into practices and let us [experienced doctors] train them and mentor them so that we empower them to start their own practices going forward.

“The fact that you are a doctor and you are actually highly skilled, it is very sad that no one taught you at undergraduate medicine how to become an entrepreneur, and we need to change that.”

The South African Medical Association Trade Union reported last month more than 800 qualified doctors remained unemployed following the completion of their two years of medical internship and one year of community service.