GEORGE NEWS - George Hospital received six new medical interns whose posts will be financed from a presidential stimulus package announced in December.
In addition to this, a further 12 medical interns will be funded by the hospital to bring the total number to 36, according to hospital communications officer Nadia Ferreira. The number of doctors doing their community year at the hospital will also be increased from six to 12.
Hospital CEO Michael Vonk said the increasing demand for services compared with the available resources puts pressure on the health system. "Additional personnel, at the right level of service provision, is always welcome."
In 2018, the George Hospital treated more than 133 800 patients - 64 854 in the outpatients department, 48 057 in the emergency centre and there were 20 935 admissions.
According to the Western Cape health minister, Nomafrench Mbombo, there are massive staff shortages across the country. The Western Cape health department provides services to about 6,5 million people, of whom 75,3% is uninsured. "The burden on our health facilities is much larger than they were designed for. There is always a tension between the escalating demand for services and the available resources," said Mbombo.
She welcomed the appointment of 204 extra intern positions in the province at the coalface of health service delivery. "For the first time we will be able to ensure that all fully qualified junior doctors are employed due to this extra allocation."
She was dissatisfied, though, that the allocation to the Western Cape was "far less" than for provinces like the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
The personnel allocation in the Western Cape from the presidential stimulus package comprises 204 interns, three medical specialists, eight registrars (medical specialists in training), nine medical officers (post-community service doctors), 42 professional nurses, 25 enrolled nurses, two pharmacists, 16 pharmacy assistants, 14 artisans and six forensic pathology officers.
Dr Beth Engelbrecht, head of health, said this is a relatively small number compared with the province's total number of staff of about 31 000.
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