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More health workers needed - DA
19/02/2008 17:11 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The government must immediately add health professionals to a scarce skills list, the Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday.
"It is outrageous that when compiling its quota system for scarce skills, the government has failed to add even one health professional category...the shortages of doctors and nurses is crippling health care across the country." said MP Mike Waters.
"In Mpumalanga for example there are only 700 doctors for 3.5 million people - when the province should have 9 000 doctors - a shortfall of 92%.
"The situation is so dire, that the SA Military Health Service was asked to provide relief in the province in terms of providing specialists and doctors ... we are in a crisis," Waters said.
"For far too long we have allowed the unbalanced views of the (Health) Minister to dictate national policy, which has quite frankly failed."
The DA suggested that the following steps be taken: The Minister allows the private sector to start training doctors, an aggressive campaign be launched to lure medical professionals to SA from all over the world - and all Embassies and Consulates have desks established that can fast track applications by any medical professional wanting to work in South Africa.
"It is high time that the government showed its commitment to the poor in our country by ensuring that they receive adequate health care. We need an urgent change in policy," Waters said.
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