The Times
*Aaron Motsoaledi wants to train more medics * *Harriet McLea, The Times, Johannesburg, 12 October, 2011*The country needs "many, many, many, many more" doctors and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi does not know how long it will take to fill all the vacancies.
At the launch of his department's human resource strategy document at Wits University's medical school yesterday, Motsoaledi said: "At least let's have a plan."
A 2006 national human resource plan for the Health Department recommended an increase in the output of medical students to 2400 a year, but the new strategy document states that "this growth did not take place".
The new strategy document estimates an 83043 shortfall of all health professionals in the country this year.
For the past 10 years the country's eight medical schools have consistently produced about 1300 doctors each year.
Out of the 11700 doctors trained in nine years, only 4403 work in the public sector. More than 8000 South African doctors are working in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Motsoaledi said "poor planning" was the reason medical schools had not increased their student intake and the newest medical school was built more than 40 years ago.
"It did not happen by accident," he said, adding that he would expand infrastructure at university medical schools and build a new one in Polokwane, Limpopo. .
This, he said, was part of his plan to "increase the output of doctors three times". But, he said, "even if we do that for the next three years, it will not be enough".
Wits University's medical school agreed to train 40 more medical students this year, asking Motsoaledi for R8-million to cover the increase. "Eight million rands to train 40 extra doctors is a good investment," said Motsoaledi.
In the interim, the minister said he wanted to recall retired medical professors and specialists back to work to fill staffing gaps.
*From: http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2011/10/12/aaron-motsoaledi-wants-to-train-more-medics*
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