Healthcare worker shortage a looming problem

The shortage of healthcare workers threatening the quality and sustainability of health systems worldwide is, especially in South Africa’s case, government’s fault, according to the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa).

Speaking at the opening of the 24th Association of Medical Councils of Africa conference, Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said the world had been grappling with a “serious” shortage of healthcare workers, even before the coronavirus pandemic.

He described the “crisis in human resources” as one of the most pressing global health issues of “our time”.

“Healthcare is a fundamental human right. But without health workers, there cannot be health services,” he said on Sunday.

However, Denosa spokesperson Sibongiseni Delihlazo said there was no one to blame but the government, which had failed to adequately pay healthcare workers and place nursing students, young doctors and graduates.

“The minister said what the audience needed to hear and at the same time, the very same government, in particular this department, is not doing what it needs to do,” he said.

“[Phaahla] was talking about the shortage of workforce of healthcare across the country, but it is at the same time the making of the very same government that we’re short-staffed, overworked and underpaid.”

Delihlazo said with a doctor-patient ratio of one doctor to 3 198 patients, as per the World Health Organisation, there would be an estimated deficit of 13 million nurses by 2030 which, if not attended to, could even come sooner.

“If we talk about nursing, SA is producing [far fewer] than it should, because they closed many nursing colleges that were there before democracy.”

In a note, We need a Human Resources for Health “Marshall Plan”, the Hospital Association of SA chief executive, Dr Dumisani Bomela, said almost half the country’s nurses were approaching retirement age.

“In our view, nothing less than a ‘Marshall Plan’ for human resources is necessary. A collaborative national effort is needed.

“We warn against sleepwalking into a nurse shortage disaster or be party to the future failure of the healthcare system.”