South Africa’s National Health Council has approved the recruitment of 1,200 doctors in a bid to address the chronic shortage of medical personnel at public health facilities.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Friday that the council had, in addition to the 1,200 doctors, also approved the hiring of 200 nurses and 250 other healthcare professionals.
“Early this year, the country woke up to widespread dissatisfaction about the employment of healthcare professionals, especially doctors amid [a] shortage in the public healthcare system,” he told journalists in Pretoria.
He said the recruitment drive was part of broader efforts to improve service delivery and accessibility for citizens reliant on the public healthcare system.
A shortage of healthcare professionals has long plagued South Africa’s public health sector, with years of budgetary constraints hindering the employment of medical staff despite urgent need and growing dissatisfaction among citizens.
The decision comes on the heels of the presentation of the 2025 budget by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in March, which allocated R1.78 billion (about US$91.7 million) to fund the recruitment of healthcare workers.
Motsoaledi said recruitment processes are set to begin as soon as logistical arrangements are finalised.
The National Health Council is a statutory body comprising Health Minister Motsoaledi, provincial health ministers, the South African Local Government Association and the Surgeon General of South African Military Health Services.
JN/APA