No jobs for new doctors… it’s sick

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has been on Twitter this week, asking people to let him know what they think should be done with South African Airways.

Quite apart from the fact that a finance minister asking for advice looks like he is out of his depth – either politically or in terms of economics – there is the sad reality that whatever citizens would like to see happen to SAA, it is likely they will be ignored by the ANC, especially if those suggestions include grounding the “gravy planes” for good.

That is borne out by the fact that scores of ex-ministers and their spouses continue to spend millions in taxpayers’ money on flights on SAA.

It is beyond sad – although hardly surprising – that more than 150 newly qualified doctors cannot be deployed to alleviate the critical medical staff shortages in this country… because the government has no money to pay them.

There was millions of rands available to bring even more Cuban doctors to help in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as millions more in importing the interferon drug (which is still unapproved for use in this country) from Cuba.

There were billions available to be looted and diluted by ANC cadres in the programme to acquire and supply personal protective equipment for medical staff.

Yet, despite the fact that the services of these doctors are desperately needed and that millions have already been spent by the state in training them in our universities, they sit in the ranks of the unemployed.

The situation is made doubly tragic because unless the doctors get jobs for in-service training, they will not be registered as professional doctors here.

Some of them take their talent – and our expensive training – to benefit sick people somewhere else.

And that is sick.

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