GAUTENG HOSPITALS FACE SKILLS CRISIS BUT CAN'T HIRE
Gauteng hospitals start this year with a skills crisis as 314 out of 1476 specialist posts are empty but cannot be filled because of a moratorium instituted at the end of November last year.
Hospital CEOs are now unable to make appointments unless they get written approval from Dr Kamy Chetty, the Head of the Gauteng Health Department.
According to Personnel Circular number 87 dated 30 November 2010: "Please be advised that there is a total moratorium on all post filing and no vacancies are to be advertised or filled unless written approval from the Head of Department (HOD) is obtained."
This circular is headed "Withdrawal of delegations for the appointment of staff in all vacant funded positions within the Gauteng Department of Health". It says "The total overspend on the personnel budget as well as the uncoordinated manner in which posts are filled at institutional level compels the Department to take drastic cost containment measures on the filling of vacant posts."
The impact of this measure is particularly harsh on the following hospitals that are short of specialists:
Leratong Hospital - 15 vacancies out of 20 posts (75% shortage)
Edenvale Hospital - 6 vacancies out of 8 posts (67% shortage)
Tembisa Hospital - 5 out of 10 posts vacant (50% shortage)
Tambo Memorial Hospital - 4 out of 11 posts vacant (36% shortage)
Kalafong Hospital - 49 vacant out of 144 (34% shortage)
Chris Hani Baragwanath - 43 vacant posts out of 227 (19% shortage)
Dr George Mukhari - 28 out of 148 posts vacant (19% shortage)
Helen Joseph Hospital - 8 out of 47 posts (17%)
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic - 52 out of 393 posts (13%)
Steve Biko Academic Hospital - 11 out of 99 posts (11%)
These figures are from replies by the Gauteng Health Department in November last year to concerns raised by the Gauteng Legislature's Health Committee (see below).
It's a terrible way to start the year as specialists are vitally needed to maintain standards and bring down the long waiting lists for surgery.
This moratorium is very short-sighted as we will lose specialist doctors to the private sector or overseas if they can't get posts in public hospitals.
The department should review the moratorium as soon as possible.
Extract from Gauteng Health Department reply to the Health Committee's questions:
Hereunder are departmental responses to the Portfolio Committee concerns based on GDHSD 2010/11 Quarter 1 report:
1. Committee concern: The Committee is concerned that the figures provided by the department are not clear and very confusing. They are not specific and the report does not provide a breakdown of staffing specialists' category. Instead, the report indicates the number of vacancies available for doctors without breaking in terms of areas of specialisation.
Recommendations: The Committee requests the Department to submit a broken down vacancy rate indicating specialists categories per hospital.
Response:
1.1 Breakdown of vacancy rate indicating specialist category
|
Directorate/ Institution |
New Job Title |
Vacant |
Filled |
Grand Total |
|
Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
19 |
122 |
141 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
27 |
182 |
209 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
6 |
37 |
43 |
|
Chris Hani Bara Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
42 |
181 |
223 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Dir. Community Based Services |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Dir. EMS |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
Dir. Forensic Path & Medico Legal Services |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
2 |
2 |
|
Dir. Metro and District Council Area |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Dir. Oral Health & Special Programmes |
DENTAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Dir. Policy and Planning |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Dir. Public Health & Chronic Diseases |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Dr George Mukhari Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
10 |
73 |
83 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
9 |
16 |
25 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
9 |
34 |
43 |
|
Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
East Rand TB Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Edenvale Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
6 |
2 |
8 |
|
Ekurhuleni Metro Area |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
6 |
6 |
12 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Far East Rand Hospital |
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
|
2 |
2 |
|
Forensic Pathology Services |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
8 |
9 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
|
2 |
2 |
|
Helen Joseph |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
8 |
37 |
45 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
2 |
2 |
|
JHB & WR District Services |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
3 |
3 |
|
Johannesburg Metro Area |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Jubilee Hospital (NW) |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
6 |
0 |
6 |
|
Kalafong Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
27 |
34 |
61 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
20 |
57 |
77 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|
Kruisfontein Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
Leratong Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
7 |
7 |
14 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
6 |
0 |
6 |
|
Mamelodi Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
2 |
5 |
7 |
|
Medunsa Oral Dental Hospital |
DENTAL SPECIALIST |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
DENTAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
7 |
7 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
2 |
2 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (DENTAL SPECIALIST) |
2 |
3 |
5 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Metsweding District Area |
DENTAL SPECIALIST |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Natalspruit Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|
ODI Hospital (NW) |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Pholosong Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Pretoria Oral Dental Hospital |
DENTAL SPECIALIST |
5 |
22 |
27 |
|
|
DENTAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
9 |
13 |
22 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (DENTAL SPECIALIST) |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Pretoria West Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
RAHIMA MOOSA MOTHER & CHILD HOSPITAL |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
5 |
19 |
24 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
4 |
31 |
35 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
|
4 |
4 |
|
Sebokeng Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
3 |
5 |
8 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Sedibeng District Area |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
7 |
3 |
10 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Sizwe Trop Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
South Rand Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
2 |
2 |
|
Sterkfontein Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
2 |
7 |
9 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
13 |
13 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Steve Biko Academic Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
10 |
76 |
86 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
8 |
8 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Tambo Memorial Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
3 |
7 |
10 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Tara H Moross Centre |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
5 |
5 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
|
6 |
6 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Tembisa Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
5 |
5 |
10 |
|
Tshwane / Metsweding District Services |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
|
3 |
3 |
|
Tshwane District Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Tshwane Metro Area |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
4 |
4 |
8 |
|
Weskoppies Hospital |
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
8 |
9 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
West Rand District Area |
DENTAL SPECIALIST |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST |
5 |
2 |
7 |
|
|
MEDICAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Wits Oral Dental Hospital |
DENTAL SPECIALIST |
2 |
11 |
13 |
|
|
DENTAL SPECIALIST(REGISTRAR) |
2 |
17 |
19 |
|
|
SENIOR MANAGER (SPECIALIST) |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
|
314 |
1162 |
1476 |
Statement issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng spokesperson on health, January 3 2010
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
