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Shortsighted and entirely unacceptable.
That’s how the SA Medical Association Trade Union (SAMATU) described Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla’s assertion that, once done with their community service, unemployed doctors can consider going into private practice.
Dr Phaahla addressed the media on Monday on the issue of unemployed doctors in the country and acknowledged that there are little to no funds to absorb more doctors into the public sector.
“We would’ve preferred [to have been] able to retain everybody who wishes to stay in the public service, to stay there … [but] we don’t have adequate financial resources [to do that] at this stage,” he said.
SAMATU general secretary, Dr Cedric Sihlangu, said the minister’s statement was a slap in the face to “those dedicated professionals who have been serving diligently in the public sector, often under challenging conditions, and who remain committed to the principle of equitable access to healthcare for all South Africans”.
He said as a trade union, SAMATU finds the [private practice] suggestion “entirely unacceptable and shortsighted, particularly considering the vast disparities and the limited reach of private healthcare facilities across the country”.
“If the department was any proactive, this is something that could’ve been averted with proper planning.
“The minister comes without any solutions, he simply highlights a problem that we have been highlighting for the past couple of months – in fact, for the past couple of years because this is a recurring problem,” Dr Sihlangu said.
What is more disconcerting is that our leaders, safeguarded by the privileges that grant them access to advanced private medical care, do not grasp the urgency of these issues, he added.
“Such an attitude only serves to widen the gulf between the administration and the hard-working medical professionals on the ground.”
The trade union called on the minister and the department to “immediately engage with the reality faced by unemployed doctors who have recently completed their community service”.
“It is time to transition from constant problem reiteration to the development and implementation of robust and sustainable strategies,” it said.
