By Anita Dangazele
- Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa says the department has hired more than 590 doctors in three years but will now prioritise cleaners and porters because of budget limits.
- Unemployed doctors and dentists protested outside the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature on Thursday before Premier Oscar Mabuyane delivered his State of the Province Address.
Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa has made it clear that protesting will not guarantee unemployed doctors a job.
A group of medical doctors and dentists gathered outside the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature on Thursday. They wanted answers about why they are still without work.
The protest took place just before Premier Oscar Mabuyane delivered his State of the Province Address.
Many young doctors in the province have finished their community service. But they say there are no funded posts for them. Some have been sitting at home for months.
Capa says the problem is money.
“I met with them, I engaged with them and I told them that we are still going to look at our budget,” she said.
She explained that the department has not hired any porters or cleaners for the past three years. During that time, it focused on clinical staff.
“That is why we have employed over 590 doctors in the past three years,” said Capa.
But she said a hospital cannot run with doctors alone.
“As a doctor, you need a cleaner, you need a physiotherapist, you need a nurse and all of those things. So we must strike a balance,” she said.
Capa said in the next financial year the department will prioritise non clinical staff. That includes cleaners and porters. She said she is “not apologetic about that”.
The province has been under financial pressure for years. The health department has faced budget cuts, rising costs and growing patient numbers. Rural hospitals are often short staffed and struggle with basic services.
Capa said if the department can find space in the budget, it may hire 10 to 20 more doctors. But she warned that jobs cannot be created because of protests.
“For doctors to be employed, there must be an advert, there must be a post available, there must be a budget available for you to be employed. You don’t go and protest and think you’re going to get a letter of appointment,” she said.
The jobs crisis in the Eastern Cape continues to hit young professionals hard. For now, many qualified doctors are still waiting for a call that may not come soon.
Pictured above: Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa.
Image source: Eastern Cape Department of Health
