Health department admits it has no register of unemployed doctors
The National Department of Health says it does not keep a register of unemployed doctors, prompting unions to question how the government plans staffing and budgets while thousands of medical posts remain vacant.
The National Department of Health has admitted it lacks a register of unemployed doctors, raising concerns among unions about the government's ability to plan staffing and budgets without this crucial information. Of the 1,891 doctors who completed compulsory community service by the end of 2025, the department could not determine how many remained unemployed.
Provincial Health departments had 1,518 vacant medical posts as of March 2026. Unions have called for an urgent reconciliation of these doctors, seeking information on their employment outcomes and skills. The Public Servants Association and SAMATU have also supplied the department with databases of unemployed doctors, but there are concerns about whether this information has been retained.
Brief written by urgent.news from IOL's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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