Trade unions are expressing concern over how the government can conduct staffing plan for doctors if there is no national register of unemployed medical workers after completing community service.
The recognition by the National Department of Health that it does not maintain a registry of unemployed doctors has caused alarm among trade unions. Critics are questioning the government's ability to plan budgets and staffing without knowing the number of qualified specialists available in the labor market.
Previously, the department confirmed that 1,891 doctors completed community service by the end of 2025 and were eligible for employment, but stated that it could not determine how many of them remained unemployed.
A department representative, Foster Mohale, reported that the department and the Minister have repeatedly stated, including in responses to parliamentary inquiries, that the department lacks any record or registry of unemployed medical workers.
As of the end of March 2026, there were 1,518 vacant medical positions in provincial health departments across the country.
Nlankhla Mtize, secretary of the Gauteng Provincial Health Workers and Other Services Union (HOSPERSA), insisted that the government must track the fate of doctors after completing community service, including job searching and the duration of the search for those who remain unemployed.
Mtize emphasized that knowing the number of unemployed doctors, their location, skills, and job search timelines is fundamental information for human resource management. HOSPERSA demanded an urgent national reconciliation of data on doctors who completed community service in 2025, taking into account their employment outcomes.
The Public Service Association (PSA) also questioned the department's ability to budget and allocate resources without a clear picture of unemployed doctors. Claude Naiker, PSA's national manager, noted that this is worrying because it is unclear how the department will plan its budget and ensure the employment of these graduates and the allocation of resources to under-resourced facilities.
Naiker added that PSA provided the department with information received from unemployed doctors, although the union did not conduct an independent verification of this data. PSA does not have its own estimates and relies on information provided by the doctors themselves.
He also stated that both national and provincial health departments must maintain up-to-date databases recording the number of doctors available for employment, the number employed, and the specialties in which they qualified.
SAMATU had previously provided the national department with information on unemployed doctors. SAMATU Deputy President, Dr. Mtanziswa Bengesa, recently stated at SAFM that the union provided the Health Department with its database of unemployed doctors for 2024 and 2025, but he is unsure whether the department retained this information.
A twenty-seven-year-old doctor who completed community service in KwaZulu-Natal in December 2025 reported that national or provincial officials never requested her data to track unemployed doctors. She felt that the department's admission made her feel that unemployed doctors are underestimated.
She applied for Medical Officer positions with the government, Medical Officer Researcher, and work at the National Health Laboratory, but received neither interviews nor feedback. Currently, she is forced to work on temporary contracts when available.
She believes that the government should be aware of the significant problem of doctor unemployment, even without exact figures, citing numerous meetings with unions and doctors' strikes. She supported the creation of a centralized database but stressed the need to protect doctors' personal information.
The doctor reported a scam attempt where a person posing as a staff member of the health department headquarters offered her a job in exchange for money. She reported this after realizing it was a scam, noting that scammers also infiltrated groups where doctors seek employment.
The department previously indicated that provincial departments continue to advertise and hire medical officers based on available funded vacancies. By the end of May, the government's personnel and payroll system (PERSAL) registered 1,655 appointments to Grade 1 Medical Officer positions, including permanent and temporary contracts. Of these, 664 were doctors who completed community service in 2025.
However, this data does not prove that the remaining doctors are unemployed; some may be working in private practice, undertaking temporary assignments, working abroad, or employed elsewhere.
Naiker advised the department to engage with educational institutions, graduates, and other stakeholders to determine the number of doctors entering the workforce and improve their employment planning. HOSPERSA also warned against relying solely on successive cohorts of interns and community service doctors instead of filling permanent positions.
Mtize concluded that community service should not turn into a 'revolving door,' where one cohort simply replaces another, since these doctors are cheaper than permanently hired medical staff.