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In 2024, the Health department made headlines for leaving hundreds of trained doctors unemployed despite the country facing a shortage of doctors.

Now in 2025, we are seeing history repeat itself with approximately 1800 trained doctors still seeking placements.

This is unacceptable in a county where thousands of medical emergencies are not treated with the required urgency due to the lack of deployed doctors in their area. 

Nor is it acceptable with the growing patient backlogs seen at major metro public hospitals. 

The South African government has made a massive commitment to its people with the promise of an NHI being implemented.

The doctors of the future will be the backbone for this system to be a success. 

One cannot survive without the other. 

In South Africa, the right to access healthcare is guaranteed by Section 27 of the Constitution. 

As the GOOD party we are committed to seeing this right being protected and developed.

We believe this is achievable through justified investment and developing the next generation to push our health system forward. 

But if the Health Department continues down this current trajectory, equal access to healthcare will remain a pipedream. 

Youth, who have made years of sacrifices to achieve this difficult degree, cannot continue being denied opportunity and employment especially as their skills are urgently needed.

The consequences of this decision will be seen through the continued worsening health crisis facing hundreds of thousands. 

Further compounding this crisis is the dissuasion of talented youth from filling employment areas that fall under the “critical shortage” category.  

GOOD rejects this reality and demands that the Department of Health alongside the Treasury re-evaluate this critical issue, rather than attempting to write off this crisis as an issue shared by the world and empty pockets.

Government has committed to an NHI with the end goal of making healthcare accessible to all communities in South Africa. 

This is a monumental task in a country where hundreds of communities do not have access to basic amenities. 

For this dream to become a reality, the NHI requires two obvious resources, namely, facilities, and the staff to operate these spaces. 

With unemployed doctors continuing to grow in number this project will inevitably fail. 

This cannot be allowed to happen. 

As GOOD, we encourage the department to explore every avenue, working with youth structures to ensure that young doctors are employed before society suffers further. 

Issued by GOOD National Youth Chairperson Kaden Arguile