Many local doctors snub rural hospitals

MOST hospitals in rural Eastern Cape are staffed by foreign doctors, who have travelled continents and countries to come and serve where South Africans prefer not to venture.

One such example is Manuela Veling, a 31-year-old doctor from Holland who chose to work at Canzibe Hospital in Nqeleni.

The hospital was identified as one of those that young doctors who benefited from the provincial department’s bursary scheme refused to work at.

Together with another doctor, Veling serves a population of about 143000 people.

However, it has not been a walk in the park.

“We have lots of challenges but the main issue now is that we have a big shortage of staff.

“We have two doctors where there are supposed to be six, and that comes ultimately with a whole lot of work.

“The doctors that the government wants to employ here, they all refuse to come.

“It’s mostly the post-community service doctors.

“We were supposed to get three post-community service doctors, and they all didn’t come,” she said.

Another doctor, who became famous for flying a helicopter into rural areas in the early 2000s to help the sick, is still passionate about helping rural communities.

Hemult Fritsche, 76, from Germany, is known as the flying doctor. Though he deals more with clinics, he has observed the state of healthcare in these parts.

He stressed how improving primary healthcare in rural areas would have a ripple effect by decreasing dependence on hospitals. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za / sinom@dispatch.co.za