KZN Health Department unable to fund pharmacist intern placements, other positions due to strained finances
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has warned that it does not have the funds needed for the placement of health professional interns, including pharmacists.
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The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has warned that it does not have the funds needed for the placement of health professional interns, including pharmacists.
In a statement, the department said it noted, with understanding, the deep concern and numerous enquiries from pharmacist interns and other health professional interns regarding their placements for this financial year.
The department said it is battling financial difficulties and can't meet some of its objectives because of budget cuts.
“We hear your anxiety. We recognise your eagerness to contribute to our healthcare system and the critical role you are trained to play. Your distress is not lost on us.
It said the current reality is one of severe financial limitations. While the Department is fully committed to training the next generation of health professionals, the available funding from the provincial fiscus is acutely constrained.
"As a result, we have only been able to secure placements for medical interns and community service personnel at this time.
“This difficult decision stems from a simple, unavoidable principle: we cannot spend what we do not have. The exclusion of other categories is a matter of fiscal reality, not a measure of their value or importance to our health system.
“We want to assure all affected interns that this is not a permanent closure. The Department is actively pursuing every possible avenue to source additional financial resources.
“We are committed to this, and as soon as the fiscal situation improves, the inclusion of pharmacist interns and other health professional interns will be an absolute priority,” it said.
This comes after the KZN Department of Health announced last week that 1,200 new Community Service personnel and Medical Interns have been deployed at healthcare facilities across the province. The department said this deployment includes nurses, doctors, and Allied Health Professionals