Faizel Patel – 30/06/2021
The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says while money was allocated to provinces across the country for intern doctors, it was not used to remunerate the medical students but rather to make up for the budget cuts to the province and
Intern doctors say they are fed-up with the slow pace at which their placement at healthcare facilities across the country was being finalised.
They are part of 288 qualified medical doctors who’re waiting for an announcement by the Health Department on when they can start with the mid-year intake of their internship or community service programmes.
Speaking to Radio Islam, Sama’s Dr. Angelique Coetzee says the Health Department was aware that the doctors would be eligible for internship from 1 July.
“Monies was made available to the different provinces or supposed to be allocated. There was supervision or the accreditation did take place. So then because of budget cuts most of these provinces took the money and now when we need to allocate the interns to them, there’s no money to pay their salaries.”
Dr. Coetzee says there was a high-level meeting with the health department and treasury to make funds available for the intern doctors.
“We are just waiting for the confirmation letter today for the releasing of monies because there are still 155 interns out of the 288 whose posts are not being funded.”
Dr. Coetzee says the battle of placing intern doctors is not something new and occurs every year, adding that the provinces are being irresponsible by using money allocated to interns for other means because due to budget cuts.
Listen to the interview with Dr. Angelique Coetzee
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