Unemployed Eastern Cape doctors face long wait as department prioritises cleaners

Amid an outcry from disgruntled unemployed doctors, the Eastern Cape health department will prioritise hiring non-clinical staff, including cleaners and porters, says MEC Ntandokazi Capa. Capa’s remarks come after a group of doctors demanding jobsprotestedoutside the provincial legislature in Bhisho ahead of premier Oscar Mabuyane’sstate of the province addresson Thursday. There had been severalsimilar protestsin Bhisho previously.

In the next financial year, we are prioritising porters and cleaners. Capa said the department needs to strike a balance between clinical and non-clinical staff. “I engaged them and told them that we’re still going to look at our budget.

But as I said to them, for the past three years we have not employed any cleaners or porters,” she said. “So there is no balance … because for a doctor you need a cleaner, a physiotherapist, a nurse and all of those things.

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We must strike a balance. “It should not be about doctors; but it should be about the department of health making sure that everyone in the department of health is catered for.” Capa made it clear the department is determined to prioritise cleaners in the next financial year. “I’m not apologetic about that.

“We are prioritising non-clinical [staff] because for the past three years we have been prioritising clinical. That is why we have employed more than 590 doctors in the past three years.” Capa said the department can look at its budget and see if “10 or 20” doctors can be accommodated but won’t be pressured by a protest to employ the doctors.

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