Medics leave govt in droves

BRAIN DRAIN: ABOUT 6 000 DOCTORS AND NURSES QUIT STATE HEALTH FACILITIES PER YEAR

- Enkosi Selane

South Africa's public health care system is losing medical professionals at an alarming rate, with nearly 6 000 doctors and nurses resigning annually from state facilities.

Recent parliamentary data reveals the devastating scale of the brain drain crippling the country's health sector.

Official figures from the Persal system show that between 2013 and 2025, South Africa lost 12 745 doctors and 58 897 nurses from public health care facilities.

Combined, this represents an average of approximately 5 900 doctor and nurse resignations per year over the 12-year period from 2013 to 2024.

When including pharmacists, other health care practitioners, and administrative personnel, the total number of health care workers who have resigned since 2013 reaches a staggering 124 123.

The crisis peaked in 2021 and 2022, when the government lost 1 340 and 1 350 doctors respectively, alongside 6 171 and 5 592 nurses.

The data, provided by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi in response to a parliamentary question from DA MP Michele Clarke, paints a grim picture of a health care system under severe strain.

Gauteng province has been hit hardest, losing 3 351 doctors since 2013, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 2 609 resignations.

Since the 2021-2022 peak, Gauteng has lost 1 206 doctors, while KwaZulu-Natal shed 599 medical professionals.

The Western Cape recorded 433 doctor resignations, Eastern Cape 356, and Limpopo 322.

For nursing staff, Gauteng led with 4 697 resignations since the peak years, followed by KwaZulu-Natal's 4 353 and Eastern Cape's 2 631.