Gauteng health dept confirms 53 medical interns paid outstanding salaries

After complaints from the South African Medical Association (Sama) over the non-payment of medical interns working at state hospitals in Gauteng, the provincial department of health on Monday confirmed that 53 junior doctors had been paid their outstanding salaries for January and February this year.

Medical interns paid

The department’s spokesperson Kwara Kekana said out of the 56 medical interns who were yet to be paid their salaries for two months, 53 were paid as of 7 March 2022.

She said the payment of outstanding salaries for the other three interns was underway.

Sama last week condemned the non-payment of medical interns in the province, saying it was disturbing that senior doctors at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto had to assist the unpaid interns from their own pockets.

Delays in payments

Kekana said the Gauteng department of health (GDoH) had 429 medical interns’ positions that were funded annually. However, the national department of health had historically allocated interns in excess of the baseline allocated budget that GDoH had.

She said for 2022, there was an additional 203 interns that were allocated by the national department of health to the province.

“This has meant that GDoH has had to first confirm additional full funding for any excess interns allocated to the province beyond the available baseline of GDoH funded posts. This unfortunately results in delays in payments to some of the interns,” Kekana said in a statement.

“The GDoH continuously engages all parties involved to ensure there is better planning, and that staff are not negatively affected.”

The provincial health department apologised to all medical interns who had been affected by the delays in the payment of their salaries.

SA-based Cuban doctors

Meanwhile, the department of health has been criticised for paying expert Cuban doctors in South Africa high salaries despite expired contracts and unemployed local doctors.

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) MPL and spokesperson for health in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, said the department had spent R30.3 million on Cuban doctors last year and still employed 14 who earned between R78,000 and R91,000 a month.

Provincial Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi said some Cuban doctors were still employed due to a government-to-government agreement by South Africa in 1996. She confirmed 14 Cuban doctors were at primary health care facilities.

“Cuba as a country is known for having the best health outcomes and its experience in prevention and health promotion would assist in strengthening the district health system,” Mokgethi said.

“The Cuban National Doctors also serve as mentors and coaches for the doctors who are placed at primary health care facilities, especially the South African Cuban-trained doctors.”

Bloom said the contract for the 28 Cuban doctors employed in May 2020 for a one-year contract expired in May last year.

He said the department should spend on South Africans rather than waste on Cuban doctors and that expensive Cuban medical training was being probed for suspected corruption.

“It’s no surprise, but there is something deeply fishy about this because we have unemployed local doctors and unfilled medical posts,” Bloom said.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe. Additional reporting by  Marizka Coetzer

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