Shortage of doctors in Mpuma

2008-01-18 14:32

Nelspruit - The Mpumalanga Health Department will meet private doctors on Friday evening to encourage them to offer their services in public hospitals where doctors are in short supply.

Spokesperson Mpho Gabashane said the department had mechanisms in place to encourage private doctors and would meet some of them on Friday night in the Ehlanzeni District.

"The shortage was as a result of a national decision to reduce theoretical training for doctors. This will not only affect our province but other provinces as well.

"Doctors who were supposed to come to the public service will not be available until 2009."

About ten doctors left Standerton Hospital last year.

Gabashane said doctors who provided their services in provincial hospitals last year had completed their community service and would not be returning this year.

"We have called upon all provinces to come up with measures to ensure we retain those doctors," he said.

The Democratic Alliance on Thursday described this as a looming "humanitarian crisis" as patients, requiring urgent medical attention were left unattended, due to the unavailability of doctors.

Anthony Benadie, the DA's provincial leader and spokesperson on health in Mpumalanga, said preliminary information indicated that provincial hospitals in Standerton, Delmas, Middelburg, and Ermelo had been "bungled into chaos" following instructions from hospital management's that doctors would, until further notice, not be available after 17:00 on weekdays and over weekends.

'Aware of the problem'

Gabashane confirmed this was so and was indicated in a memorandum.

"I saw that on a memorandum. However, this should not be clouded and used as a political tool - it is not a situation that we put upon ourselves.

"The department is aware of the problem and is pro-actively dealing with it and also committed to insuring it's addressed thoroughly," he said.

"There were plans to beef up services. If there's an emergency we'll able to fly our doctors to that hospitals within 30 minutes."

Documents were being finalised to improve salaries as another measure to retain doctors.

The department was encouraged by the response and commitment from doctors.

"We are confident we will be able to fix this soon. We have to come up with creative ways of fixing this because we know it affects our people. Hence we are giving it all the urgency it deserves," Gabashabe said.

- SAPA