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In answer to a parliamentary question from the DA, the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, revealed that the vacancy rates as of April 2025 for doctors, nurses, and radiographers were 9.42%, 14.22%, and 15.7%, respectively.

Furthermore, yesterday, the Department of Health admitted in a meeting with Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations (SCOA) that the vacancy rates are unmanageable. In March, the Minister confirmed 27 523 vacancies across all nine provinces, of which 2 147 were doctors and 16 870 were nurses.

It is worrying, though, that the Minister’s various answers to iterations of the question does not align. In the most recent PQ the Minister stated that 6 985 posts for medical officers had been filled between April 2024 and March 2025, but in an answer less than 2 weeks earlier, he stated that 3 862 medical officers had been employed in the same period. Given the Department’s struggle to fill posts, it is doubtful that 3 123 medical officers would have been appointed in that time.

While the DA understands that vacancies and vacancy rates is a bit of a moving target due to hirings and attritions, the fact remains that the public health system cannot function adequately with such staff shortages – the Department has admitted as much.

The DA will submit follow-up questions to determine the current vacancy rate for all clinical and non-clinical staff.

We will also keep a close eye on whether the additional R6.7 billion promised to the Department will indeed be spent on its four identified priorities, including filling of vacancies.

Issued by Michele Clarke MP - DA Spokesperson on Health