The Democratic Alliance (DA) has issued a warning to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, urging the immediate filling of thousands of vacant frontline health worker posts to prevent what it calls a looming public health disaster.
According to the DA, the Minister’s recent announcement of only a small number of advertised health posts is grossly inadequate, considering the scale of vacancies in the public health sector.
This comes after Minister Motsoaledi announced that the Department of Health has approved 1,200 doctor posts, 200 nursing positions, and 250 other healthcare jobs at a cost of R1.78 billion.
His statement followed mounting concern over the growing number of unemployed doctors, many of whom have taken to protesting in recent months.
Civil society groups and professional bodies have also urged the government to urgently employ doctors who have completed their community service.
Speaking in Pretoria last Thursday, Motsoaledi said that the department had previously been unable to act due to budget constraints, but a new budget allocation by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has now made these posts possible.
The party welcomed the addition of new positions but condemned it as “a mere drop in the ocean,” emphasising that this accounts for just a fraction of the total vacant posts that remain unfilled.
“The Democratic Alliance (DA) reiterates our urgent call for these frontline public health worker vacancies to be filled, NOW! If Motsoaledi wants to avoid a looming public health disaster, he must act now,” said Michele Clarke, DA spokesperson on Health.
The DA expressed deep concern over the simultaneous reduction in PEPFAR-funded health workers, warning that the combination of international funding cuts and government inaction could devastate already overstretched health facilities.
Clarke added, “The Ministers announcement of just 1 500 health posts being advertised, while 10 000 remain vacant, is a travesty.”
She pointed to years of corruption and mismanagement in the Department of Health as the root cause of staff shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and failing services.
The DA also criticised the government’s focus on the National Health Insurance (NHI) project, calling it a “fictional NHI promise” and urging that funds earmarked for it be redirected to fill critical staffing gaps.
“Funding which Minister Motsoaledi is diverting to this NHI project must rather be made available to fill the shortfall in critical frontline workers now. Save lives now, instead of wasting money on a doomed NHI,” Clarke said.
During recent oversight visits to Sebokeng and Rahima Moosa Hospitals, the DA witnessed firsthand the effects of inadequate staffing.
Patients are left waiting for hours, often receiving little or no treatment, as overwhelmed staff struggle to meet the overwhelming demand for services.
Clarke said, “Millions of South Africans depend on the Department to provide essential medical services, and the Minister’s inadequate actions in the face of a crisis infringe on their right of access to healthcare.”
“Fill the vacancies now, before it is too late for the people of this country who rely on public health care to survive,” Clarke said.