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A group of unemployed doctors who camped all night outside the KwaZulu-Natal department of health offices have expressed relief after the province's Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, reassured them that their plight was being addressed.
"Please go home, wait for the imminent advertisements for posts, and apply," Simelane-Zulu told the gathering on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the unemployed doctors marched to the department’s provincial headquarters at the Natalia Building in Pietermaritzburg, where they camped overnight in front of the building’s entrance.
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They vowed not to leave the premises unless they were given letters of appointment.
A doctor who braved the cold on Tuesday night told City Press that they were relieved and left for their homes with high hopes.
He said:
Another unemployed doctor, Sifiso Zikhali, said he was excited that the MEC promised to release posts by the end of April.
Zikhali said:
The protest was a result of a national crisis and delay in the employment of doctors, which has affected more than 800 qualified doctors nationally.
The unemployed doctors have been waiting for government to come up with a budget to absorb them into the health system after they complete their studies and their community service internships for more than a year.
Public Servants Association's provincial secretary Mlungisi Ndlovu said the trade union intervened to facilitate a meeting with the head of the health department Dr Sandile Tshabalala to help the doctors' demands to be met.
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Ndlovu said Tshabalala met with the doctors on Wednesday when some agreements were reached.
Tshabalala then briefed the MEC about the agreements. Simelane-Zulu appealed to the doctors to return home and be patient, as the matter was receiving attention.
Simelane-Zulu said:
She also said the department was unable to fill all of the posts at the rate that they would like to and could only fill posts that were funded.
"The premier has been talking to the president about this matter on our behalf. I’ve also been talking to the minister of health, Dr Joe Phaahla. Our finance MEC Ms Peggy Nkonyeni has been speaking to the minister for finance, Enoch Godongwana, so that we can get funding for those vacant posts. That process has not been completed," said Simelane.
The MEC added:
The MEC also emphasised that every civil servant had to go through the proper recruitment process.
"You cannot just be given an appointment letter. You do have to go through the process. So, we are making a call to the unemployed doctors that, now that we’ll be advertising these posts, can they please go back home and make sure that they apply? Those who do qualify will be employed. And for those who might not be employed. The national government is also going to advertise. So, they are welcome to apply to other provinces as well," said Simelane-Zulu.
