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BL Premium reports that Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has told MPs in a written response to parliamentary questions that the budget cuts implemented by the National Treasury have hobbled the ability of provincial health departments to fill posts, placing strain on staff and forcing patients to wait longer for care.
He indicated that all the provinces were scrambling to deliver services with fewer doctors, nurses and senior managers. The vacancy rates for doctors ranged from 22.4% in the Free State to 5.5% in the Western Cape, while that for nurses ranged from 28% in the Free State to 5% in the Eastern Cape. More than two-fifths of the senior management positions in the Northern Cape stand empty. The Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga reported that about a quarter of their posts for senior managers were unfilled. The reduction in the headcount had increased the workload for remaining staff, leading to higher stress levels and decreased job satisfaction, Motsoaledi pointed out. He assured parliament the remaining staff “continue to provide good quality clinical services”, but conceded having fewer personnel negatively affected the number of patients that could be attended to. The February budget set aside a consolidated health budget that will grow by a nominal 3.4% over the medium term. This is below the Treasury’s estimate that inflation would average 4.7% over the next three years, meaning the budget will shrink in real terms. Meanwhile, the Treasury is finalising the medium-term budget policy statement, due to be released in October. Provinces will be looking for relief from their budget pressures, which are being felt across all front-line services, including education.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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