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KwaZulu-Natal’s R500 Million Plea: A Health System on the Brink Without Specialists
A province under pressure
KwaZulu-Natal’s public hospitals are buckling under the weight of a specialist doctor shortage so severe that the provincial government has turned to national authorities for urgent financial help. Premier Thami Ntuli confirmed that while R100 million has been raised to fill some posts, the health department still needs an additional R500 million to bring in more doctors, especially in life-saving fields such as oncology and cardiology.
Ntuli warned that without this funding, the crisis could deepen. He pointed to budget cuts over the past few years that stripped nearly R70 billion from provincial coffers, leaving health and education among the hardest hit sectors.
Life-and-death waiting lists
The reality is already dire for patients. KwaZulu-Natal has only 12 oncologists serving major hospitals, including Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central, Grey’s, Ngwelezana, and Queen Nandi Regional. Backlogs for first-time cancer appointments now stretch up to ten weeks. For cardiology, the province has just four specialists when at least seven are needed. Of those, only one cardiologist is permanently based at Inkosi Albert Luthuli.
Doctors warn that these gaps are not just numbers on paper. A cardiologist described patients waiting months for procedures like angiograms while their conditions worsen. One patient, suffering from blocked arteries, has been left relying on ineffective medication while waiting for a crucial appointment. If the blockage worsens, the risk of a fatal heart attack grows by the day.
The voices from inside
Medical professionals have spoken out, stressing that general practitioners cannot manage complex emergencies like heart attacks. They say patients are effectively gambling with their lives when specialist care is delayed. The crisis is compounded by the closure of registrar posts, which are essential for training new specialists. With registrar programmes taking four years to complete, the decision to close these posts could cripple the pipeline of future doctors for the entire country.
One cardiologist put it bluntly: “If a patient has a heart attack and no cardiologist is available, they could be dead within hours.”
A wider South African struggle
The shortage of specialist doctors is not unique to KwaZulu-Natal, but the scale of the crisis in the province highlights a bigger challenge in South Africa’s public health system. Budget cuts, underfunded training pipelines, and a steady migration of doctors to the private sector or abroad have left the state unable to keep up with demand. For families without medical aid, the difference between waiting weeks or being seen immediately is often a matter of life or death.
What comes next?
KwaZulu-Natal’s appeal for R500 million may buy temporary relief, but health experts warn that long-term solutions must include sustainable funding, protected training opportunities, and measures to keep skilled doctors in the public sector. The stakes could not be higher. As Premier Ntuli reminded, “We cannot let people die.”
Also read: Pension in Peril: Man Faces R9 Million Claim from Former Employer
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: News24
