COSATU echoes SAMATU’s call for government to employ doctors

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) adds its voice to that of its devoted Affiliate, the South African Medical Association Trade Union (SAMATU), as it calls on government to formulate and implement a strategy that will result in the employment of hundreds of qualified doctors who have completed community service.

SAMATU raised the alarm on the continued unemployment of qualified doctors in the country despite the public health sector’s dire need for their skills. The union said it was aware of at least 450 qualified doctors who had completed their community service but were still without jobs. 

SAMATU has urged successive health ministers over the years to devise and implement a strategy to employ doctors as soon as they complete their community service. Yet every year in January these skilled professionals find themselves unable to provide healthcare to citizens that need it most because government will not hire them.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act in May last year, since then the Department of Health has been working to ready the system for its implementation. SAMATU rightly points out that the success of the NHI heavily depends on strengthening the human resources in public health facilities. Human resources is also one of the 10 crucial pillars in the Health Compact signed by health stakeholders including government, labour, civil society, health professionals, etc. In that context government’s refusal to employ skilled doctors makes no sense. 

Similarly, the 2025/26 Budget and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework due to be tabled at Parliament in February needs to abandon reckless austerity budget cuts and ensure that frontline services that the working class and the economy depend on are well-resourced and thus able to fulfil their constitutional mandates, including the right to healthcare.

COSATU fully supports the implementation of the NHI and resolved during the Central Executive Committee meeting held in November 2024 to form a Friends of the NHI and mobilise mass support to ensure the roll-out of the NHI is accelerated, and the goal of universal healthcare provision is achieved. For this reason, and to ensure these skilled professionals do not leave the country in search of better opportunities elsewhere, COSATU calls on the Minister of Health to engage with SAMATU and formulate a strategy that will ensure a win-win outcome for all.

Issued by COSATU

Zanele Sabela (COSATU National Spokesperson)

Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639
Email: zaneles@cosatu.org.za