Doctor dilemma hurts hospital
Non-urban hospitals struggle to retain medical doctors.
BOASTING one of the best tertiary hospitals in the province, Ngwelezana Hospital, despite its status, has the challenge of retaining skilled doctors.
According to Ngwelezana Hospital Chief Specialist and Head of Emergency Unit, Dr Darryl Wood, the hospital is equipped with specialists, medical interns and nurses.
However, the challenge is filling the middle gap.
‘The doctor who has been practicing for several years and is not a specialist plays such an imperative role but it is so hard to retain them,’ said Dr Wood.
Clinical Head General Surgery, Burns and Plastics, Dr Maheshwar Naidoo shared the same sentiment, suspecting that the issue lay with the lack of recreational activities within the City.
Hospital Public Relations Officer, Thobile Hadebe said the retention of medical professionals was a national problem which mostly affects non-urban areas.
‘The shortage is largely owed to the inadequate number of doctors produced in the country and the long process of accrediting foreign qualified doctors.’ Hadebe said.
Remuneration
‘Unfortunately, most individuals are looking for urban areas and the hospital or Department of Health cannot hold them against their will.
‘Our government has tried numerous ways of attracting professionals to non-urban areas by giving them extra remuneration in terms of rural allowance, offering them accommodation and bursaries that oblige them to serve where they come from.
‘We also introduced bursaries a couple of years back to high school graduates to study medicine in Cuba for five years on condition they serve the same amount of time at a hospital in their district upon return.
‘Even medical universities have increased their enrolment in order to meet the demand for the service.’ said Hadebe.
Ngwelezana Hospital is currently working with the University of KwaZulu-Natal medical school to provide a training platform for undergraduate medical students.
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