Katharine Child
MANY provincial doctors in the Eastern Cape have not been paid – some for a month, some for three months.
"[Some] 30 doctors from just one region of the Eastern Cape were not paid in April and two have worked for three months without pay,” Junior Doctors’ Association of South Africa chairman Dr Mbulelo Diba said yesterday.
Diba said in some cases human resources staff were responsible for the non-payment, but others were the result of the Health Department hiring staff after the national Treasury had frozen posts. Eastern Cape Health Department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said some doctors had been hired without the Treasury’s approval.
He said the department had been told last year to cut back on staff but some districts and hospitals had hired doctors regardless.
Provincial Treasury spokesman Nosisa Sogayise said there was no moratorium on posts but the Treasury had to approve new appointments.
SA Medical Association spokesman Dr Phophi Ramathuba expressed outrage at the non-payment of doctors in the province.
