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Doctors' pay 'a disgrace'

2009-06-05 18:14
line
Doctors march over poor salaries. (Courtney Africa, Die Son).

Doctors march over poor salaries. (Courtney Africa, Die Son).

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Cape Town - Despite persistent drizzle and overcast skies hundreds of Western Cape health professionals marched to Parliament as part of a nationwide protest over pay increases.

The South African Medical Association (Sama) led the Cape Town march which saw medical students, interns, pharmacists, doctors and others walk the traditional march route from Keizergracht Street.

"Money yam khawulethi," they sang from song sheets handed out, in a tightly organised march.

A memorandum was brought to Parliament, which included a demand for a minimum 50% wage hike for doctors, who the DA have said earn the same as bus drivers.

"We hope the rain represents a new beginning today," said Western Cape Sama chairperson Dr Mark Sonderup, who has been involved in wage negotiations for many years.

Pay 'a disgrace'

The DA's head of health in the party's shadow cabinet, Mike Waters, called the pay situation a disgrace and attributed it partly to bad handling by former minister of health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

A 2nd year intern at Paarl Hospital, Jackie Goldswain, said most of the burden at hospitals fell on junior doctors. She saw no future for herself in the country to earn enough for a house and work reasonable hours in order to raise a family.

A representative from the presidency, Dumisane Mahlasela, accepted the memorandum on behalf of President Jacob Zuma, in a cordial handover. "I'm sure you are very serious about you concerns if you can brave this kind of weather and march," he said. "I'm sure if my colleague and I get sick we will be taken care of," he joked to laughs from the medics assembled outside parliament.

He added that Zuma had made it clear that public health was a priority for his administration.

Chairperson of Parliament's portfolio committee for health, Bevan Goqwana, assured the crowd that a solution would be found.

Sonderup announced the government had 14 days to respond or they would be back. "Next time we're back here there will be nobody in the hospitals," he warned.

Response by Friday

Goqwana told protesters that government would get back to their representatives by the following Friday. "We understand the problem and we are going to solve it."

But Waters said he was disappointed with new Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi's response that day in Parliament on the matter. "He said he thinks the doctors are going to get their increases because he looked at the minister of finance's facial expression and took it from that. I would expect the minister of health to have a meeting with face to face with the minister of finance and have tough negotiations and fight for the doctors."

Health professionals in the province had previously marched on May 21 to Groote Schuur Hospital, wearing black armbands to mourn the public sector like other nationwide protests. 

See the video.

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