The end of the party

Me on the medical ward round

There is a curious atmosphere at work – a sense that the party is nearly over. The 2007 intake of doctors has begun its exodus and I am back on the medical ward this week. Sister looks at me in surprise as I walk on.

“Where is Dr Riddick?”

“She has left.”

“Hauw – why?”

“She was only here for 1 year and the year has ended. She has gone to her next job.”

“And Dr Janssen, and Dr Mkhwanazi?”

“They have left also.”

She shakes her head sorrowfully. “It is terrible. All our doctors are leaving us. What will happen? Just as we get to know each other, you leave. Are there new doctors coming?”

“A few.”

I don’t expand my answer for her. For 2008 will be a more difficult year than even normal for South Africa’s rural hospitals. For several years now a good fraction of doctors working in places like Hlabisa were “community service” doctors. After qualifying doctors did a 1 year internship and were then required to work for a further year in a understaffed institution before being “signed off” for other employment within South Africa. It was not a popular idea at the time, but most “comm-serves” would now say they benefited from the experience. This year however there are no comm-serves. The internship has been extended to 2 years, so for 2008 hospitals like Hlabisa will have to do without. We are losing 5 doctors (just over a third of the staff) and gaining just 1 South African. The short fall will most likely be made up from overseas graduates like myself.

So the medical team at Hlabisa has had to tighten its belt. The on calls are more frequent and the days that little bit busier. But Hlabisa has it relatively easy. Some of our neighbouring hospitals are down to 5 or 6 doctors.

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