The statement by Jack Bloom is mischievous, misleading and disingenuous. It is not true that the hospitals are starting the year in a crisis because of the moratorium on the filling of specialists' posts.

Mr Bloom has been informed that posts will be filled in a coordinated manner so that there can be an effective utilisation of resources. As the member of legislature he has also called for measures to be put in place to prevent a recurrence of over expenditure but when that is done he now misleads the public with claims of crisis.

The moratorium referred to is intended to avoid employment of non-essential staff which only serves to bloat the bureaucracy at the expense of medical and allied health professionals.

The Department has prioritised the filling of service delivery posts which includes posts for specialist, medical doctors and other health professionals.

The truth is that approval for the filling of all specialists' posts has been granted and vacancies that may still exist would be caused by a shortage of such specialists in the labour market.

The information that Mr Bloom has provided for hospitals is misleading, for example Leratong Hospital does not have 75% shortage rate for specialists. The hospital has 13 full time specialists, three sessional specialists and HOD has approved three more posts for the hospital.

Edenvale hospital has advertised six entry level specialists' posts and currently has five sessional specialists working in the hospital.

All hospitals that Mr Bloom has mentioned have started a process of recruitment where vacancies exist.

Statement issued by Simon Zwane, Gauteng Health and Social Development, January 3 2011

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