Shortage of state psychiatrists ‘a ticking time bomb’

WHILE some psychiatrists had left the public health sector in Kwazulu-natal, complaining they were under-resourced or overworked, an expert in the field said mental health had become a “lucrative business”.

Professor Bonga Chiliza, from the University of Kwazulu-natal’s department of psychiatry, attributed the recent resignation of three psychiatrists at the Ngwelezane Hospital who made up the unit to the introduction of more private mental health institutions in the province.

Earlier this week, the DA’S Dr Imran Keeka said there was an oversupply of psychiatric drugs in the province allegedly because KZN Health could not keep up with demand.

Keeka made the statement following the dumping of more than R2 million of expired medication, some of which had been psychiatric. He claimed there were insufficient facilities to treat patients with psychiatric disorders.

“It also confirms that the resignation of several psychiatrists is a ticking time bomb. A new crisis is looming,” he said.

Keeka said the department had yet to respond to questions about how many psychiatrists had been employed in the province and where they were.

On claims that psychiatrists were leaving public health, Chiliza said two of the doctors had been replaced and a third was expected to take up a post at Ngwelezane soon.

A psychiatrist who recently left the public health sector and asked not to be named, said work conditions had worsened in recent months, which had led to some opting to leave.

“As with most departments, doctors have to take on much more than they can handle and it affects our well-being. This also applies to psychiatry. Those who leave are doing so for better prospects and because the work conditions continued to worsen,” said the doctor.

Chiliza said there was a critical need to train more psychiatrists, as with most fields of speciality, because there was a shortage.

He said another challenge was that some of the newly trained psychiatrists did not want to leave their families to go and work in rural areas where there was a great need for psychiatrists.