While platforms like finDR offer hope for some young professionals, systemic change is needed to create a robust and equitable healthcare system in SA.
Image: Pexels / Tima Miroshnichenko
South Africa faces a baffling healthcare contradiction, where the country grapples with severe shortages of medical professionals in certain areas of the country, yet hundreds of qualified doctors remain unemployed.
To address this crisis, promising initiatives are emerging.
On Wednesday, Profmed launched www.finDR.doctor, a platform designed to connect qualified young doctors seeking employment with medical facilities in need of their expertise.
Profmed CEO Craig Comrie describes it as “a critical intervention” at a time when solutions are desperately needed.
According to Profmed, the platform will not only facilitate employment opportunities but will also provide an incentive of six months of free Profmed medical aid to the first 100 unemployed graduate doctors under 30 who sign up to finDR.
“finDR was born out of Profmed’s long-standing commitment to support the medical profession; a core mission since the 1960s. With finDR, we’re not only addressing the employment gap among doctors but also easing the pressure on our healthcare system, making quality care more accessible across South Africa,” says Comrie.
In January 2025, the South African Medical Association (SAMA) raised the alarm about over 1,800 qualified doctors who have completed their community service and are unable to secure employment.
South African Medical Association Trade Union (SAMATU) lamented the same sentiments after unemployed doctors took to the streets of Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape earlier this year, demanding to be employed as they find themselves within the unemployment scourge.
Dr Cedric Sihlangu, the general secretary of SAMATU, highlighted that a significant challenge facing the healthcare sector is the persistently high number of unemployed doctors who have completed their community service
Despite years of rigorous training and a dire need for healthcare services in many parts of the country, these professionals find themselves in limbo.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi responded to the concerns raised by doctors and unions, acknowledging the increasing pressure on the Department of Health to hire unemployed doctors. However, he insisted that budget constraints hinder any new appointments and encouraged them to explore opportunities in the private sector and abroad.
IOL
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