The fate of the unemployed medical doctors will have to wait until the Budget Speech scheduled to take place next week.
This was a response by Dr Joe Phaahla, the Health Minister, to the many demands made by unemployed doctors.
Phaahla was speaking during the State of the Nation Address discussion on Tuesday.
According to Phaahla, the finance minister will provide them with enough money and leeway while his department is developing long-term fixes.
“We have a solution to address the current challenge of doctors who want to stay in the public service but cannot be offered funded posts,” Phaahla said.
“The details of how we are going to fund the posts will come out of [finance] minister [Enoch] Godongwana’s Budget Speech next Wednesday.”
He went on to say that the use of qualified personnel in healthcare teams is essential for ensuring both quality and accessibility.
Appointment letters
“The medical profession is very key in the multidisciplinary teams, and that is why we are doing everything to retain as many doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and other members of the teams in the public health system.”
According to him, provinces will be permitted to begin sending out appointment letters prior to April 1.
He said: “I am sorry to disappoint all those political parties who were hoping to cash in on the disappointment of the doctors.
“Our national team is working with the National Treasury to thrash out the details. We are also working with provincial health departments to speed up the process.”
Over the past ten years, the number of graduates has nearly doubled.
There were 1 338 graduates who started internships in 2014, 2 511 in 2022, and 2 210 new medical interns this year – about 1 000 more graduates.
According to the minister, the department is dedicated to collaborating with the South African Medical Association Trade Union and the South African Medical Association (Sama) to explore additional opportunities for the jobless doctors.
The Sama hosted a media briefing at the Sandton Convention Centre on Wednesday to address matters related to the NHI Bill and the doctors.
The briefing took place ahead of the association’s annual conference, which will get under way on Thursday.
