THE Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal needs close to R500 million to address the skills shortage, particularly that of specialist doctors.

Premier Thami Ntuli said they are engaging with the national government to secure funding to fill the vacancies within the department. He recalled that the provincial government has raised R100 million to fill some of the posts, including those for doctors, but it still needs an additional R500 million to employ more health professionals.

Specialist doctors have warned that the situation is likely to worsen in the coming years as these skills become more scarce. They expressed concern that the shortage of specialists has reached critical levels.

Ntuli spoke to The Mercury recently about the work and challenges faced by the provincial government, noting that over the last few years, due to budget cuts, his government has lost close to R70 billion, which is why the Departments of Health and Education have encountered so many challenges.

He highlighted the issue of critical vacancies within the Department of Health, pointing out that the shortage of specialist skills needs to be addressed, as the government cannot “let people die.”

The issue of specialists came to the forefront recently after a DA spokesperson on health, Dr Imran Keeka, revealed that the department is facing a crisis regarding specialists, resulting in patients having to wait for extended periods to be diagnosed and treated. For instance, the province has only 12 oncologists based at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), Grey’s, Ngwelezana, and Queen Nandi Regional Hospitals.

Backlogs for first-time appointments at each facility range from six to ten weeks, with six more oncologists needed. KwaZulu-Natal has only four cardiologists based at IALCH, Grey’s Hospital, and Ngwelezana Hospital, requiring a minimum of seven. Of those, only one is permanent at IALCH.

“We have faced a shortage of specialists in the Department of Health and other administrative functions. We have been able to raise around R100 million to fill some of the posts, including those of doctors. We need about R500 million, and that is why we have said the issue of specialists is important. We cannot let people die, and that is why we are engaging with the national government on the additional R500 million that we need, and a portion of it will go towards the funding of specialists,” Ntuli said.

Doctors are sounding the alarm over the shortage of specialists in KZN hospitals, warning that this is a matter of life and death for many patients who cannot afford private healthcare. One cardiologist, who asked not to be named, said they often refer patients with heart conditions to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital.

“We have heard horror stories about the patients that we referred to public health institutions; some tell us they are having to wait for six months to see a specialist. The shortage of specialists in the public sector is a real problem. Depending on what the patient needs, the longer they wait, the worse their condition will get. For instance, if a patient has a heart that is beating fast, if they do not get help quickly, by the time they see the specialist, the heart muscles could have stretched, leading to heart failure. A heart condition can kill you faster than any other disease,” he said.

The doctor spoke about one of his patients who has been waiting for two months just to see a specialist after being referred to a public hospital.

“My patient does not have medical aid. The patient has blocked veins in his heart, experiences chest pains, and struggles to breathe. He was referred to a public hospital more than two months ago and is yet to be booked in for an angiogram, which is crucial for his condition. Right now, the blood flowing to the heart is through a small opening, and should that blockage worsen, he will suffer a heart attack. All he has been told is to take medication which is no longer helping.”

Another doctor expressed concern, stating, “If someone has a heart attack, that person needs to be seen by a cardiologist. The GP cannot treat that, which means the patient could be dead in a matter of hours if there is no cardiologist available.”

He added that despite the current challenges, the worst is yet to come.

“The posts for registrars (where doctors train to be specialists) are closed, and the impact of that will be felt in a few years. There is already a shortage of specialists, and training registrars takes four years. By closing these posts, they are playing with fire; the whole country is going to feel this in a few years.”

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