IFP welcomes the move to prioritise South African doctors
11 September 2019
The IFP welcomes the move by the MEC of Health Department in KwaZulu-Natal Honourable Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu to stop the hiring of foreign doctors to accommodate South African doctors.
The IFP confirmed this move through an internal circular dated 4 September 2019 where the Department states that it has taken a decision to suspend the recruitment and employment of foreign health professionals in particular foreign doctors to accommodate South African doctors especially those trained in Cuba.
The party discovered through a response to the questions asked by Hon Mntomuhle Khawula to the KZN Department of Health, about how many foreign national doctors are employed by the department in the province. The department responded by saying that they are 336 from 57 different countries.
This is victory for the IFP; on behalf of all unemployed doctors who are struggling to get employment and are already dealing with the negative social impact and financial stress that unemployment brings. We reiterate that the IFP does not have a problem with other countries providing jobs regarded as scarce skills to our country. This should however, not happen to the detriment of the citizens of our country. It is a fact that KwaZulu-Natal remains with loads of health professionals who are remaining at home with qualifications unemployed.