Gauteng’s public hospitals are in chaos as doctors go unpaid and food shortages leave patients hungry. A doctor at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital was told to prove she wasn’t a “ghost worker” after her April salary was withheld, according to the Sunday Times report.
The newspaper reported that many medics haven’t been paid for three months, with some also at risk of missing May salaries.
Salary Crisis Deepens
The Gauteng health department blamed “administrative and financial challenges” for the delays. Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba admitted and told the Sunday Times that some doctors may not receive May salaries due to late overtime submissions. However, doctors argue they followed procedure.
“You have to work, but you don’t have money for petrol, and yet you have to make it to work despite the difficulties. We just feel used by the government,” said a Baragwanath doctor with over a decade of service.
Protests and Desperation
Last week, doctors at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital protested unpaid salaries. Specialists, crucial to public healthcare, are also affected. A Soweto-based doctor said: “It doesn’t make sense why I was not paid, as I am on the roster and there’s a record of my having seen patients.”
Food Shortages Worsen Crisis
Patients at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital report poor meals—instant soup, bread, or pap—forcing some to rely on family or vending machines.
“The hospital food is not nice. In the morning, they would give us porridge without sugar,” said patient Thabo Hadebe.
Modiba acknowledged supply issues but claimed contingency measures were in place.
Broader Systemic Failures
Dr Aslam Dasoo of the Progressive Health Forum warned this reflects wider provincial dysfunction. “Doctors are treated worse than cleaners,” he said.
With no clear resolution, Gauteng’s healthcare system remains in crisis, leaving doctors and patients in dire straits.
