Trade unions in KwaZulu-Natal have slammed the temporary suspension of pharmacist internship placements, due budget constraints, stressing that the decision highlights ongoing funding pressures in the provincial health system. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health confirmed that, due to severe financial limitations, pharmacist interns will not be placed this financial year. In a statement, the department said it had noted the “deep concern and numerous enquiries” from affected interns and acknowledged their anxiety.
The current reality is one of severe financial limitations. While the department is fully committed to training the next generation of health professionals, our available funding from the provincial fiscus is acutely constrained. It said the decision to exclude certain categories of interns was driven by fiscal realities and did not reflect their value to the health system.
The department added that the suspension was not permanent and said it was exploring all possible avenues to secure additional funding, with the placement of pharmacist interns and other health professional interns becoming a priority once the financial situation improved. The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said it had not yet formally engaged with Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane following the department’s recent announcement, while the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) said the department had not provided any indication of when the matter would be resolved. Nehawu provincial secretary Ayanda Zulu said the funding challenges facing the department stemmed largely from the national Treasury.
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The problem that has been raised consistently is not within the Department of Health, but the national Treasury and the provision of the budget to KwaZulu-Natal, which has the biggest healthcare system. We believe the bigger the system, the bigger the budget should be. She said the union had been focused on finalising the permanent absorption of healthcare workers and had not yet addressed the intern placement issue with the MEC.
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