NCOP
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 286
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 08 June 2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 16)
Mr M J R de Villiers (DA-WC) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1) How many (a) vacant posts exist for (i) doctors, (ii) dentists, (iii)
specialists, (iv) nurses and (v) physiotherapists at each public
hospital in each province from 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified
date for which information is available and (b) of these posts have
been filled during the said period;
(2) whether timeframes have been set to fill all vacant posts in his
department; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
CW385E
REPLY:
1) The number of vacancies for health workers in each province by post
classification is not currently available due to the Persal clean-up
process currently underway as per the letter received from the
Department for the Public Service and Administration (DPSA) dated 23
April 2012, with a deadline of 31 July 2012 for completion of the
process.
2) In October 2011 we launched the Human Resources for Health (HRH)
Strategy 2012/13-2016/17. The following measures are in place to
implement the HRH Strategy with regard to staff vacancies:
i) To fill vacancies a process is underway as a result of the HRH
Strategy to determine funded and unfunded vacant posts, to undertake
an audit of staff to verify staff in position, and to determine
staffing requirements based on staffing norms and guidelines;
ii) A project is underway in the National Department of Health to develop
staffing norms and guidelines to inform staffing establishments,
critical clinical staff posts, vacancies and required funding;
iii) Evaluation of vacancies according to new staffing norms and guidelines
has to be done in accordance with available budget. These calculations
are being made as part of this process;
iv) The project to determine staffing norms, vacancies, critical clinical
posts, and required funding will be completed in the 2012 financial
year.
END.