UKZN loses modules
THE University of KwaZulu-Natal has allegedly lost its accreditation for three specialisation modules at its school of medicine.
This is apparently as a direct result of newly-introduced commuted overtime imposed by the KZN Department of Health which forced lecturers to quit.
The Health Professions Council of South Africa withdrew accreditation for urology, radiology and oncology at UKZN’s Durban campus this year because the teaching posts are vacant.
Unions warned this could compound the already six-year waiting list for cancer patients.
Specialisations are offered to medical students after they complete their undergraduate studies. They can be groomed as specialists – known as registrars – through experts at public hospitals only.
About 1 000 disgruntled doctors and allied workers, led by the South African Medical Association (Sama), the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA and Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA, marched to the City Hall last Friday where they handed over a list of demands to Department of Health head Dr Sifiso Mtshali.
A meeting was expected to take place at the time POST went to print yesterday, between Sama and the department.
Sama KZN chairman Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa told POST that consultants, who taught at UKZN for free, were unable to manage it now due to vastly increased workloads because of a lack of staff and commuted overtime introduced this year.
Mzukwa said the unions had not been consulted about commuted overtime, which basically forces public health practitioners to be physically present at hospitals and fill in timesheets to be paid.
Previously practitioners like consultants who taught students could consult remotely.
“There is general unhappiness. Doctors who were never getting paid to teach are now expected to teach and push heavy workloads because the department froze posts. They become exhausted and leave,” he said.
“As it is we have a huge backlog in urology, dating back to 2011. It is inhumane to expect them to wait.”
Also on the list of demands is the lack of opportunities at public hospitals for post-community service practitioners, some of whom have been without jobs since January 1.
In March, Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi essentially washed his hands of the problem, saying the department did not owe those practitioners jobs.
“We marched to address that attitude,” Mzukwa said. “Why would you say, as a government official, that you don’t owe them anything? It is insensitive. How can we have so many unemployed when we are so understaffed?”
Meanwhile, a selection of qualified doctors said they were without jobs at public hospitals.
One said: “Random posts do open up, but it’s not enough.”
Another, who has had to settle for part-time work at a government hospital, said: “I have been for four interviews, still no permanent job. You go for an interview and 40 people turn up for it.”
The KZN Department of Health refused to answer detailed questions on Monday, and said POST should have put all its questions to Mtshali after the protest. The Health Professions Council of South Africa did not respond either.