'The time for excuses has passed' — PSA vows escalation until every unemployed doctor in KZN is hired

TimesLIVE

01-07-2025

The Public Servants Association (PSA) has vowed to intensify protest action until every qualified, unemployed doctor in KwaZulu-Natal is absorbed into the provincial health system.
The union, which represents thousands of public sector employees, has thrown its weight behind more than 150 unemployed doctors, who despite completing their internships and community service, remain without work.
'These doctors have completed their internship and community service obligations in line with public health policy but have been abandoned by the same government that trained them,' said the PSA in a statement.
The union warned it would not back down until the KZN department of health provides clear answers about staffing plans. 'Health care is not a commodity, it is a human right. Doctors are not surplus, they are essential,' said the PSA.
In a recent media statement, the KwaZulu-Natal health department confirmed that 20 medical officer posts will be advertised within the next seven days as part of an interim intervention.
'This comes as a result of ongoing engagements between the department of health and the Office of the Premier, which are aimed at finding practical solutions under challenging fiscal conditions,' the department said.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, speaking alongside premier Thami Ntuli, explained that the 800 medical posts referenced earlier this year by the national finance minister refer to a national allocation — not a provincial one — and that KZN will only receive a portion.
'We want to make it clear that those 800 posts form part of a national process, which is being handled at the level of the minister of health, the minister of finance, and parliament. KZN, like all other provinces, will receive a portion of those posts. Once national [government] has finalised that process and informed us how many posts we will receive, we will immediately advertise them,' said Simelane.
She said they were not ignoring the problem.
'When we realised that our provincial budget would not be enough to absorb all the doctors finishing their community service this year, we escalated the matter to the premier. The premier and I then took the issue directly to the president,' said Simelane.
Simelane blamed long-term financial cuts for the current staffing crisis. 'In the past five years, our department has lost R14bn to baseline budget cuts. That has greatly affected our ability to expand our staff complement,' she said.
The PSA said these explanations were not enough.
'The PSA demands that minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, must immediately confirm how many of the 1,500 posts he promised on April 10 have been allocated to KwaZulu-Natal,' the union said.
'In addition, budget allocations must be urgently released to allow the provincial department to advertise and fill these critical posts without delay. This delay is a denial of justice, a betrayal of the working class, and a blatant undermining of the right to health for the people of KwaZulu-Natal,' said the PSA.
The union painted a dire picture of the state of health care in the province, saying it has a doctor-to-patient ratio of just 0.4 per 1,000 people — far below acceptable standards.
'Emergency units are short-staffed, surgical backlogs are growing, and burnout among medical personnel has reached a breaking point. And yet, over 150 doctors remain jobless. The situation reflects poor governance and a leadership crisis,' said the PSA.
'These are not new posts but critical vacancies that have been left unfilled.'
The union has also called for a joint meeting involving national and provincial authorities, unions and community organisations to craft a 'radical and people-centred workforce plan' based on population needs and transparent staffing data.
'These unemployed doctors are not job seekers begging for work. They are professionals demanding the fulfilment of a promise, and the right to serve communities. Government cannot continue to pay lip service to health transformation while it leaves hospitals short of hands and graduates unemployed,' the PSA said.
The union warned that unless decisive action is taken soon, it will escalate its mobilisation efforts.
'The time for bureaucratic excuses has passed. The PSA will intensify mobilisation alongside unemployed doctors and progressive forces until every qualified doctor is placed, every funded post is filled and every patient is treated with dignity,' it said.