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The plight of thousands of unemployed doctors and pharmacists that have taken to the streets to voice their frustrations do not seem to give Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, sleepless nights. In fact, his rather callous response about budget constraints belies the hundreds of millions the Minister has spent on his vanity project – the National Health Insurance (NHI).

The DA will submit parliamentary questions to determine how many posts have been filled since last year, as well as the current vacancy rates of medical professions in the public health sector.

There were 2 000 vacant positions nationally in public hospitals and as of April 2024, the national vacancy rate for medical officers was at an average of 14%, with the Free State, North West, and Limpopo particularly hard hit.

Minister Motsoaledi’s new stint as Health Minister has been characterised by a duality in which he expects the private health sector to save the public health sector, while also trying to cut them off at the knees. The Minister is encouraging new doctors to find their fate in the private sector, all the while knowing that he’ll soon be responsible for the implosion of that very sector should the NHI madness continue.

Sky-high vacancy rates and unemployment of medical professionals have been the norm in the public health sector for years. Last year September it was revealed that of the total number of doctors who completed their community service in 2023, only 60% or 1 187 were appointed into funded medical officer posts in government facilities. That means that 40% had to find a job in private health care or were forced into unemployment or emigration.

The vacancies are disastrous for communities like Motherwell in the Eastern Cape where the NU8 Clinic was forced to close because it only had a few nurses keeping the lights on. You could visit almost any public health facility in the country and will be met with severe resource constraints, including doctors and other medical personnel. The DA conducts dozens of oversights a year and have witnessed the horrendous challenges the remaining medical personnel and patients have to deal with.

The fact that the Minister seems callous about this crisis is extremely troubling.

Minister Motsoaledi is in a prime position to try and remedy the situation but instead chooses to solely focus on his NHI pipedream and not the inhumane reality of our public health sector.

Issued by Michele Clarke MP - DA Spokesperson on Health