163 VACANT REGISTRAR POSTS IN GAUTENG HOSPITALS

I am greatly concerned that there are 163 vacant registrar posts in Gauteng state hospitals.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

There are 1005 registrar posts in total, of which 16% (one out of six) are unfilled despite the dire need to train more specialists which is done by the registrar training programme.

The worst vacancy rate (31%) is at Kalafong hospital in Pretoria, where 23 out of 74 posts are empty.

At Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, 43 (24%) out of 183 registrar posts are vacant, and 33 posts (14%) are unfilled at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

At the Steve Biko Academic Hospital, 20 (12%) out of 161 registrar positions are unfilled.

According to Mahlangu, there are vacancies because some disciplines do not attract a large number of candidates, or doctors who apply are offered training positions but do not accept, or doctors leave the training programme before the required period.

The number of registrar posts has actually increased in Gauteng hospitals from 724 in 2005 to 1005 this year.

We are going to be desperately short of specialist doctors unless we fill all the registrar posts available and increase these training opportunities even more.

We need to pay registrars better and improve their working conditions, otherwise the future of specialist medicine in South Africa is bleak.

Statement by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, October 27 2010

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