Unemployed doctors are disillusioned with the government and are concerned if they will make good on their promise of advertising vacant posts this month.
Many of them feel the empty promise was nothing more than an election ploy – with the ANC hoping to get more votes.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, has re-assured a group of aggrieved unemployed doctors that their plight is being attended to at the highest level of government, which will do its best to employ as many of them as possible.
The unemployed doctors marched to the department’s provincial headquarters, at Natalia Building in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday, April 2. They sat overnight, in front of the building’s entrance and vowed not to leave the premises unless they were given letters of appointment.
Ayanda Ntuli (not her real name), finished her medical training two years ago and is unemployed.
“I am fed up, I spent so many years studying and hoping I would get a job. All that money spent on my studies makes me so sad. I thought by now that I could have helped my parents and siblings and made life easier for them. This is not fair, the government has to give us answers,” said Ms Ntuli.
Another doctor, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was disappointed that after completing his studies last year, he too has still not found a job.
“I have loans to pay off, I have no means of paying it back. I feel the ANC is stringing us along to get votes so they can remain in power. I doubt they will fill all the posts, they will make excuses as to why they can’t fill the posts. As qualified doctors we are disillusioned, we can predict how this will end and it doesn’t look good for us.”
Head of Department (HOD), Dr Sandile Tshabalala met with the doctors on Wednesday, April 3, and following a protracted three-hour meeting, some agreements were reached.
Dr Tshabalala then briefed MEC Simelane, who appealed to the doctors to return home and be patient as the matter was receiving attention.
“We don’t believe this is how we should be negotiating. We should be able to stick to agreements that have been made. We do have vacancies that have not been filled. Those vacancies are in almost all our hospitals, which have the prerogative to recruit,” she said.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to fill all of those posts, at the level that we would like to. That means, we are able to fill only those posts that are funded.”
Ms Simelane said they have spoken to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla as well Minister for Finance, Enoch Godongwana to get funding for those vacant posts. The process has not been completed, said Ms Simelane.
“We have been provided with funds from the MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework), but those funds are not for the hiring of unemployed doctors. The funds are meant to foot the bill for the wage agreement that was agreed upon last year. This is a discussion that the National Minster of Health is continuing to have with the President. With that said, I want to make a commitment that when we are able to advertise posts, which will be now in April, all our doctors – bursary funded or not – will be requested to apply,” said Ms Simelane.
The MEC reiterated that every civil servant has to go through the proper recruitment process. She said they cannot just be given an appointment letter, they have to go through the process before they are appointed.
“The agreement that we have come to is that we will centralise this process at head office, so that there are no vacancies that are funded but not filled. But this does not give us the right to short-circuit the process,” said Ms Simelane.
“We are making a call to the unemployed doctors now that we’ll be advertising these posts – can they please go back home and make sure they apply for the positions. Those that do qualify will definitely be employed. Those who might not be placed in employment can still apply for positions advertised by national government, when they advertise them. The doctors are welcome to apply in other provinces as well.”
