Skills shortage hobbles medical sector
SOUTH Africa has a shortage of 27 137 medical professionals with dentists and nurses being high on the critical list.
According to statistics from the Department of Health’s Persal system, KwaZulu-Natal faced the most acute shortage of healthcare professionals compared to other provinces.
KZN had a shortfall of 7 608 healthcare professionals and was in need of 6 644 nurses, 51 paramedics, 859 medical practitioners and 54 pharmacists.
This was followed by Gauteng with a shortfall of 5 514 healthcare professionals; the Eastern Cape with 3 892; the Free State with 2 875; and, Limpopo with 2 785.
DA health spokesperson Michelle Clark said SA needed skilled medical practitioners specialising in paediatrics, anaesthesiology, cardiothoracic surgery and clinical pharmacology.
She also said SA needed dentists, nurses and pharmacists.
Clark said the DA welcomed Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s introduction of the critical skills list, which was recently gazetted.
The critical skills list is an official catalogue that helps the Department of Health gauge where medical professional shortfalls are. The list may be used as a guide to educate and train relevant health professionals to meet the country’s needs.
Clark said: “It is no secret that the healthcare sector, especially the public sector, is suffering from a shortage of skilled doctors and nurses. This, coupled with the fact that South Africa is not able to train sufficient doctors and nurses to fill the needs of the country, will surely give doctors and nurses (a cause for concern).”
She said that annually the department ejected about 800 intern doctors from the healthcare system due to alleged maladministration of funding; and that the skills gap should be filled by interns and community service doctors.
However, Clark said this didn’t happen due to the department allegedly mishandling its funding.
She said given the shortage of doctors and nurses, opening up the health sector to foreign, skilled doctors and nurses would provide short-term relief.