The Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDoH) has snubbed “malicious” social media posts claiming there are no doctors at Oliver and Adelaide Tambo District Hospital in Mbizana.
The department confirmed on Wednesday that they have launched an investigation into a “malicious document” circulating on social media.
ECDoH spokesperson, Siyanda Manana, said: “(We have) launched an investigation into a malicious document that has been circulating on social media claiming there are no doctors at Oliver and Adelaide Tambo District Hospital in Mbizana. We want to put it on record that this is malicious fake news because there are 16 doctors at the hospital.
“Contrary to the document, there will be no days whereby there are no doctors at the hospital. We want to categorically state that the Mbizana community will continue to receive quality healthcare services from Oliver and Adelaide Tambo District Hospital. In anticipation of the facility becoming a regional hospital in the future, we have been recruiting medical officers to start at the hospital from the 1 February 2025,” said Manana.
Manana further said: “Appropriate action will be taken against anyone found to be responsible for the malicious document that threatens to cause reputational damage to the Eastern Cape Department of Health.”
In the alleged malicious fake communication, signed on a ECDoH letterhead, the communication states: “You are hereby informed that there will be days in a month where there will be no doctors on call starting from 20th January 2025 until further notice due to acute shortage of doctors”.
Manana urged the public to not spread the document.
“We are (appealing) to the public to stop sharing the document as the fake news is causing unnecessary consternation and panic.”
Last year, the national health department confirmed that they were “battling to ensure employment to thousands of young doctors” due to budgetary constraints.
During last year, spokesperson for the national health department Foster Mohale said even though there was “no definitive number of how many young doctors are struggling to get placed at various provincial health facilities, funds to ensure posts are filled to capacity were the reason young doctors were out of work”.
Probed on where funding came from for the recruiting of medical officers to start at the hospital next month, Manana said: “We reprioritise our budget to ensure we have money available. We are scrutinising our commuted overtime. We will look at grant funding as well to free money for employment.”
chevon.booysen@inl.co.za