Can KwaZulu-Natal’s New Job Posts Alleviate Unemployment Among Medical Doctors?

(The Post News)- The KwaZulu-Natal government has announced plans to advertise 20 medical posts within the next seven days as an interim measure to address the unemployment challenge facing medical doctors and healthcare professionals in the province. This comes after a group of unemployed doctors protested outside the office of Premier Thami Ntuli in Pietermaritzburg, demanding job opportunities.

Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane clarified that the 800 posts mentioned by the Minister of Finance earlier this year refer to a national allocation, which KwaZulu-Natal will also benefit from. However, the province is awaiting finalization of the national process before advertising the posts.

Simelane emphasized that the current challenges were neither unforeseen nor ignored by the provincial leadership. She explained that the department has faced significant budget cuts, losing R14 billion over the past five years, which has greatly affected its ability to expand staff complement.

The MEC appealed for calm while the department continues to engage with affected doctors and healthcare workers. She assured that the provincial government will prioritize engagements with Treasury and other stakeholders to unlock resources and address the challenges.

The advertisement of 20 posts is seen as a positive step towards addressing the unemployment challenge, and the provincial government is working to finalize the process as soon as possible. The affected doctors and healthcare workers are expected to benefit from the national allocation of 800 posts, which will be distributed across all provinces.