The unequal distribution of SA’s doctors isn’t limited to the public vs private sector gap. Health workers’ willingness to work in rural areas plays a role too. Most medical school graduates end up settling in urban areas
22 June 2022 - 07:00 Yolanda Mdzeke & Jesse Copelyn
Picture: 123RF/SAMSONOVS
SA is producing more doctors than ever, yet doctor shortages persist in public sector hospitals and clinics, particularly in rural areas.
Two things drive this dilemma. The first is that the government often doesn’t have enough money to employ more doctors. The second is that medical graduates don’t want to work in rural areas in the long term, meaning that rural hospitals struggle to attract and retain doctors even when they have the money.
One way of fixing shortages in rural areas is to admit more people from rural towns into medical school. This is because people from far-flung areas are more likely to return to practise there than those who come from cities.
WATCH: How to get doctors to work outside cities
The unequal distribution of SA’s doctors isn’t limited to the public vs private sector gap. Health workers’ willingness to work in rural areas plays a role too. Most medical school graduates end up settling in urban areas
This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism. Sign up for the newsletter.
read more:
SA’s missing doctors
How to pick good doctors: why race, language and where people come from must matter
Inequality kills: how race, money and power affect who survives Covid
Could rural students solve SA’s doctor dilemma?
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