The Rural Doctors Association of Southern Africa (RuDASA) has issued a clarion call to the Department of Health, urging that filling vacant healthcare posts in rural areas be made an immediate priority.
This appeal comes on the heels of the National Health Council's recent announcement about the approval to recruit 1,650 healthcare workers following the budget allocation of R941.5 billion over the medium term by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to the health sector.
According to the Department of Health, the recruitment process will soon begin for 1,200 doctors, 200 nurses, and 250 healthcare professionals, as logistical preparations are finalised.
RuDASA has welcomed this decision alongside other health unions, including the Public Servants Association (PSA), the South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).
RuDASA - which comprises healthcare professionals predominantly from rural facilities and university-affiliated rural health centres across South Africa - is acutely aware of the challenges faced by doctors working in these underserved regions.
“This will be a great relief to many hospitals; we hope that rural posts will be prioritised and we are heartened to hear that six doctors were appointed to Zithulele Hospital, Eastern Cape in April,” said the RuDASA executive committee.
According to the Committee, in late 2024 and early 2025, many hospitals faced the dire situation of doctors and nurses resigning and those posts being frozen.
“Rural hospitals were hard hit, both by reduced numbers of their own doctors as well as severe curtailment of referral services as regional and tertiary hospitals lost staff and were unable to replace them.”
RuDASA said the association would welcome assurances that these posts will be filled so that they can provide much-needed services to the people.
The Committee emphasised that allocating 200 nursing posts is a drop in the ocean, especially since the withdrawal of overseas development assistance led to a loss of 2,000 nurses in 27 priority districts.
“Many of these districts were rural. Two hundred posts for nurses will not fill the gaps left by those programmes, even before we consider the loss of nurses at rural district hospitals leaving vacant posts that were not advertised.”
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) was also vocal in its disappointment over the number of nurses who will be recruited into the public healthcare system, stating that it was a “token gesture” coming after repeated calls for urgent and large-scale investment into nursing human resources.
According to Denosa, the Free State faces a 28% vacancy rate, and similar figures are reflected in other provinces such as the Eastern Cape.
“National projections estimate that South Africa could be short by over 100,000 nurses by 2030 if urgent interventions are not made,” said Denosa.