I would like to make my opinion heard as seen from Canada. People might say I am not loyal to South Africa and ran away, leaving the system to struggle even more. Maybe so, but I never left South Africa in 2007 with the intent of doing so permanently. After two years in Canada I will still never ever let South Africa go as my home.
It is wonderful to work in a first world country with everything that is functional and having endless resources to use. Of course they also have their problems, but these get named and addressed with the necessary attention it deserves.
I have sympathy for the doctors who have decided to strike in South Africa, simply because the powers that be do not listen or appreciate the importance of the current public health care problems South Africa is facing. They choose to just ignore the problems.
Instead of keeping the current doctors and other health professionals happy they make things so unbearable that going overseas is almost an automatic decision once you have completed your community service. Some stay to specialise, but then leave the country as soon as they have done so. Is this not disturbing?! It is not normal.
Longing for home
I long for a walk on the beach in the Southern Cape, a braai on the deck while enjoying all of this with close friends. Instead, I find myself working in Canada where the system functions very well, but am I happy? You cannot take that South African spirit out of you or even think that you can adjust to the Canadian way of doing things.
There is at least one South African doctor in every single town in Canada. That is shocking! I can guarantee you that lots of them feel the same way I do. At least you get to see something for the income tax you pay here! It is so discouraging working in a South African public hospital where you have to struggle to deliver that much needed medical service. You always try to provide the best possible service but this often fails because of lack of supplies, shortages of staff, low moral - all mainly because of bad management by the "know it all" useless people running the country and in particular the health care system.
In South Africa you practise first world medicine in a third world country. It can certainly improve if the management can be improved. We have worldwide recognition as excellent physicians, and I really hope we can continue to keep that name high. But unfortunately with the dismal state of things at the moment the future looks rather dark.
Supporting the doctors
It was appalling to read that some of the head of departments at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the UOFS in Bloemfontein admitted that the quality of specialist training is declining due to shortages of funds. It further stated that it is only a matter of time before the so far better managed Western Cape universities will follow in their footsteps. That would be a very sad day.
I fully support the action the doctors of South Africa are taking. Firing them will not help. Get more Cuban doctors to work in SA, and you can be sure that there will be an even bigger "brain drain" as more and more health professional leave the country. I can guarantee you - Canada will not let the opportunity slip by to help those interested in coming here. Is that what the government wants?
Please listen to the outcries of the overworked doctors in South Africa. Please do something so that a practical solution can be found. I would love to go back to our beautiful country and deliver a much needed service in the public sector, but I have to say, things are not looking good.
Think about it - if you can work in Canada for six months of the year in a system that functions well and have limited frustrations, and then go on six months of holiday in South Africa, still earning more than you would during a whole year of working in South Africa, what would you choose?
Quality of life
At the end of the day it comes down to quality of life. People say that the doctors are materialistic and just want more money. It is more a case of getting on par with equally qualified employees in the government setup. That is one thing that Canada has taught me - money does not make you happy. People will argue that, but in the end it is the feeling of fulfilment in life that really counts.
I hope this will reach lots of readers. There are lots of people like me that would like to go back to South Africa and we hope every single day that things will improve. The time to act is now, not tomorrow or next year, and support should not only come from the health professionals, but from the public who they serve as well.
The government has a responsibility to the people of South Africa to spend the tax money wisely. They have obviously been failing to do so for many years. Good luck to all the doctors and other health professionals in SA, we are behind you every step of the way in an attempt to get better health care for everyone.
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Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.