South Africa’s doctor employment bottleneck is back in the spotlight. The South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) says 1,260 doctors who have completed community service remain unemployed. It also indicates approximately 1,100 vacant medical officer posts nationwide.
Samatu’s junior doctors’ leadership says some clinicians have been without work for months. In some cases, the period extends for years. The union argues the result is a double loss. Trained doctors sit at home, while public facilities struggle with long queues and understaffed wards.
Samatu also claims that employed doctors are working excessive hours. It says the workload exceeds the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s guidance. The union frames this as both a patient safety and a workforce issue.
South Africa Doctor Job Crisis And The R20.8 Billion Staffing Promise
A key flashpoint is funding. Samatu argues that an additional R20.8 billion allocated to health budgets to support compensation and essential services has not resulted in increased doctor appointments at the provincial level.
That R20.8bn figure has been linked to the 2025/26 budget process and medium-term planning. Reporting on the budget update, quoted Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, saying the allocation would help protect thousands of posts and support the employment of 800 doctors who had completed community service.
The dispute now lies between national allocations and provincial execution. Samatu’s view is blunt. If staffing funds are available, posts should be funded and filled. If posts remain vacant, it argues, communities carry the cost through weaker access to care.
South Africa Doctor Job Crisis Spurs Calls For Workforce Planning
The South African Medical Association (Sama) has also pushed for urgent action. In earlier public statements, Sama warned that unemployment among junior doctors weakens the system and wastes scarce skills. It has called for faster appointment pathways and more precise workforce planning.
Sama has indicated that it raised the issue directly with the Minister of Health. In a recent update, Sama said post-community service doctor posts were expected to be advertised by 30 January 2026, and it would track implementation.
Samatu singled out Mpumalanga as an outlier. It says the province is the only one to have filled all vacant doctor posts. That comparison has sharpened pressure on other provinces to explain their vacancy positions and spending choices.
Political Pressure And Unanswered Questions
Opposition parties have also weighed in. In September 2025, the Democratic Alliance said it had written to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi asking how R1.778 billion intended for new healthcare posts was spent. The DA also alleged that the department reduced headcount in recent years despite high vacancy rates.
In the latest round of reporting and comment, unions say they have not received clear answers from the Department of Health on timelines and funded posts by province. The next few weeks will test whether advertised posts translate into actual appointments.
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