“THE Eastern Cape’s two training hospitals are on the verge of collapse, as vacancy rates for specialist posts skyrocket, but the Department of Health is not addressing the problem.”
This is according to Jane Cowley (MPL) Shadow MEC of Health, who in a press statement said that at the Livingstone Tertiary Hospital in the Nelson Mandela Bay, only 51,7% of specialist posts are currently filled, while at the Frere Tertiary Hospital in Buffalo City Metro, only 33% of full-time specialist posts are currently filled.
“The shortage of specialists can only mean one thing: people who otherwise could be saved, are going to die,” said Cowley.
These shocking statistics were revealed in response to her parliamentary questions to establish the nature and extent of unfilled posts at these hospitals. The unfilled posts stretch across a variety of departments, including Neurosurgery, Anaesthesiology, Cardiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics.
“Not only do these specialists bring valuable skills to the institutions where they reside, they also play a vital role in passing these skills on to others. Skills that are vital in the proper treatment and care of patients.
“The very same skills are severely lacking in the province, which is one of the key drivers of medico-legal claims against the Department,” said Cowley.
She said it is time for the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape to undergo a “deep cleanse and rid itself of unnecessary officialdom so that critical specialist posts can be filled, and decent medical services can once again be offered to the people of this province.”
