Insufficient doctors and nurses in the province The province has a chronic shortage of doctors and nurses, for example, some district hospitals may have the equipment for intensive care but do not have the nurses to staff it. Furthermore, the province, particularly in rural areas, faces difficulty in attracting qualified doctors and nurses. This difficulty is mainly due to the lack of appropriate accommodation in rural areas for doctors. The department was working on measures to address this challenge together with the Department of Public Affairs and Administration as this issue presents a major challenge in respect of retaining doctors and nurses in rural hospitals and clinics that are struggling with insufficient medical personnel.