Frustrated junior doctors staged a sit-in outside the office of the KwaZulu-Natal Premier on Monday, demanding action over vacant medical posts and worsening conditions in the province’s health sector.
This marks the third protest since January by the group, which includes doctors who have completed their community service but remain unemployed. The Employed Doctors Advocacy Forum (EDAF) has accused the provincial government of ignoring repeated appeals to address staffing shortages and mismanagement of health funds.
“Memorandum After Memorandum, Nothing Changes”
Dr. Akhtar Hussain, chairperson of EDAF, expressed frustration over the lack of response from health authorities.
“We have been informing the Department of Health, the national and provincial governments, that junior doctors are unemployed after community service. Memorandum after memorandum, meeting after meeting—nothing is happening,” he said.
Hussain highlighted that despite a R28.9 billion health budget allocation, KZN remains the only province that has not advertised junior doctor and consultant positions.
“Hospitals are overburdened. Patients arrive at 4 a.m. and are seen by only one or two doctors. There’s no medication, and people are being sent from one hospital to another,” he said.
Hospitals Operating at “Minimum Critical Level”
According to Hussain, many hospitals are functioning with skeleton staff, where 20-doctor facilities are being run by just six or seven physicians. He also criticized the department for allegedly exploiting interns as primary workforce instead of training them under proper supervision.
“The vacancies exist, but the department claims there are none. Meanwhile, hospitals are collapsing,” he said.
Broken Promises and Empty Posts
Hussain revealed that despite promises from the Head of Department (HOD) last year to advertise posts, no action had been taken. He also dismissed recent government advertisements for National Health Insurance (NHI) sessional posts as inadequate, describing them as part-time roles with no benefits.
“President Ramaphosa announced that 800 doctors would be absorbed in Durban, but not a single junior doctor has been appointed,” he said.
Growing Unemployment Crisis
With over 800 unemployed doctors in KZN and another 2,400 expected to complete community service by December, the crisis is set to deepen. Hussain warned that if the provincial government fails to act within 48 hours, doctors will escalate their protests.
“We were trained here using taxpayers’ money. Why must we leave the country to find work?” he asked.
Call for Immediate Intervention
The protesting doctors are urging the KZN Premier and the Minister of Health to intervene urgently, warning that further delays will exacerbate the healthcare crisis.
As the sit-in continues, pressure mounts on the provincial government to address what doctors describe as a systemic failure in health sector employment and resource management.
