Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
08 August 2025 | 13:15 CAT

📷 KZN’s unemployed doctors protest broken promises, demand urgent action to fill vacant posts and ease public healthcare strain

Hundreds of qualified doctors in KwaZulu-Natal remain unemployed despite severe staff shortages in public healthcare facilities, a crisis doctors say is fuelled by government inaction and mismanagement.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Dr. Tamsanqa Zakwe from the Unemployed Doctors Task Team said the latest protest in Pietermaritzburg was sparked by the provincial government’s failure to deliver on commitments made in July. “The premier had promised to increase advertised posts from 20 to 50 by the end of July. When that deadline passed with no progress, we went back to the streets,” Zakwe said.

This protest is part of a string of demonstrations dating back to January, with doctors demanding the provincial government fill vacant posts. According to Zakwe, “There are so many vacancies that the government is not filling every year the number of vacant posts for doctors keeps growing.”

The impact, she warns, is felt most by the public. Nearly 80% of South Africans rely on public healthcare, where staff are overburdened, patients face hours-long queues, and surgical waiting lists grow. “You can’t have a provincial government accept that for the whole year they won’t hire new doctors from their own budget,” Zakwe stressed.

The Department of Health claims that the 20 posts advertised earlier this year attracted nearly 2,000 applications. However, Zakwe disputes the figure, noting that many doctors, including herself, applied multiple times for different districts.

While the shortage is a national challenge, Zakwe says KZN stands out for its inaction. Other provinces, she noted, have implemented measures to employ at least some doctors from their provincial budgets alongside the national Department of Health’s plan to roll out 1,200 posts over three years.

The unemployment crisis spans beyond newly qualified doctors, with some specialists forced to work in junior positions due to the lack of advertised specialist posts. Zakwe also highlighted similar staffing shortages among nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists, urging all healthcare professionals to hold government accountable.

Following engagements, KZN’s MEC for Health has committed to creating at least 100 doctor posts annually. While Zakwe welcomed this as a step forward, she emphasised the need for proactive planning: “We must be the last group doing this. You have the statistics, you know where people are needed. Plan ahead.”

For KZN’s unemployed doctors, the fight continues, not just for their own careers, but for the health of the province’s most vulnerable patients.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Dr. Tamsanqa Zakwe.