Health MEC vows to fight for more posts

KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has vowed to push for the recruitment of more healthcare workers in addition to the posts already advertised.

She also called on the healthcare fraternity to embrace technology, including artificial intelligence, to help improve patient care in the province.

Speaking during the launch of the South African Medical Association’s (SAMA) KZN Provincial Structure and AI Interactive Workshop in Durban on Sunday, Simelane appealed to the medical fraternity to also ensure patients are placed at the heart of every policy, budget, and debate.

She celebrated the establishment of SAMA’s provincial structure as a good step forward, saying it would ensure the voices of doctors in KZN are heard louder and clearer than ever before.

She further declared that even with billions of rands worth of budget cuts over the years, the department will continue to fight for more posts, more resources, and better working conditions, because healthcare is not a privilege, but a right.

“One of the issues that SAMA has consistently raised, and rightly so, is the shortage of posts. This remains one of the most pressing concerns in the health sector. But we have been engaging with President Cyril Ramaphosa and KZN Premier Thami Ntuli.

“The president is looking at different ways of assisting us, but we have discussed [it with] the executive council of KZN. As a result, we agreed to advertise 150 posts, of which 100 are for medical officers and 50 for medical specialists. This is in addition to the 20 doctors’ posts that we advertised in June. As well as the 150 posts mentioned, we have also created 40 posts for specialised nurses and 80 additional posts for entry-level nurses.

“I know these measures are not enough. It is far from being enough, but it is better than the 20 we had previously advertised. It is better than the zero posts we had a few months ago. We believe this is a start. And with the work we are doing with the premier and president, we hope we will be able to advertise more posts in the next few months,” she said.

AI in healthcare

In embracing AI as a partner in healthcare, Simelane painted an inspiring picture of rural clinics where technology helps save lives that might otherwise be lost.

“I also to commend SAMA for looking to the future in embracing AI and exploring how its capabilities can be harnessed in healthcare. AI should not be seen as an enemy that will take away jobs. It should rather be viewed as a partner, a tool that can help doctors, nurses, and managers to be more efficient, accurate, and responsive,” she explained.

Simelane said, when used wisely, AI can shorten diagnostic times, support early detection of diseases, improve hospital management systems, reduce human error, and free up healthcare workers to focus on the human side of care, which machines can never replicate.

“In a province as vast and diverse as KZN, AI can help bridge the gap between rural and urban healthcare, ensuring patients in remote communities benefit from the same speed and accuracy of service as those in urban centres.

“Imagine a rural clinic where a nurse can, with the help of AI, detect a life-threatening condition early and save a life that might otherwise have been lost. That is the promise of this technology, and we need to embrace it. The government has many protocols when it comes to what we can use in our spaces and in our hospitals,” she said.

Simelane said, if SAMA has started exploring AI technology and has been able to demonstrate that it can be used to benefit patients, it will be easier for the government to get on board.

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