South Africa's healthcare crisis – the impact of US funding cuts

SOUTH Africa's healthcare system is under serious pressure. The sudden suspension of critical US funding has resulted in the loss of around 15000 healthcare jobs - many of them linked to HIV/AIDS programmes that served as lifelines for vulnerable communities.

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Combined with broader public sector budget cuts and a national hiring freeze, the situation threatens to undo decades of progress in healthcare delivery.

As public hospitals struggle with fewer staff and shrinking resources, the country is at risk of losing not only jobs but skills, infrastructure, and hope.

But in the face of these challenges, there are still ways to keep services running and people employed. One of them is through Temporary Employment Services (TES), which provides a flexible staffing approach that can help stabilise the system while longer-term solutions are explored.

A healthcare system under pressure

The US aid cut has had an immediate and devastating impact. Programmes focused on HIV, tuberculosis, and reproductive health, many of which were propped up by international donor funding, have been forced to scale back or shut down entirely. Thousands of community healthcare workers, nurses, counsellors, and administrators have found themselves jobless, while patients are left facing longer wait times and reduced access to care.

At the same time, cost-cutting across the public sector has put a freeze on new hires, even in essential departments like health and the impact is already being felt. With public hospitals and clinics stretched thin, they're unable to take on newly trained doctors and nurses.