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‘We are not immune to employment abuse’ – doctors

Johannesburg  A group of doctors on Tuesday said they were not immune to employment abuse and saw themselves first and foremost as workers who had to fight for their rights.

South African Medical Association (Sama) treasurer, Bruce Malumane, said doctors needed to work through trade unions to raise their grievances and concerns.

The South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) and Cosatu said on Tuesday they wanted to strengthen the rights of doctors. Samatu was Sama's union arm. Sama's board decided to dissolve it in August 2015.

“The law is very clear that doctors can’t go on a strike when they have problems. We are an essential service to the community,” Malumane said.

Members had to work through their unions to avoid such situations. However, doctors felt the time had come to evaluate if Sama lived up to its responsibility of uniting doctors for the health of the nation.

Abolish medical aids

Dr Tsametse Mohlomonyane, from Pretoria West Hospital, said doctors had a professional responsibility to be advocates for their patients and a moral and ethical duty to make sure patients received access to quality healthcare. 

“They expect us to do our best, but we face problems on a daily basis. There is a big shortage of staff,” Mohlomonyane said.

Mohlomonyane said doctors were forced to use old machinery that left  them vulnerable to law suits if something went wrong. He said the general working environment was also not the best. 

Sama deputy president, Dr Mpho Pooe, said they would equally champion the interests of doctors in the private sector.

“We demand the immediate abolishment of medical aids, undue control over general practitioners and specialists,” Pooe said.

They called for fair financial and economic participation in the health value chain. She said only 7% of the medical aid funds went to doctors.

“We want and demand cheaper indemnity cover for doctors and are unwavering in our commitment in uniting the doctors toward professional and financial liberation,” she said.

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