JOHANNESBURG – The South African Medical Association (Sama) says more doctors in at least four provinces have not been paid their January salaries.

JOHANNESBURG - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he is disappointed and highly distressed that some interns and doctors who started work in last month have still not received their January salaries.

JOHANNESBURG – The South African Medical Association (Sama) has called on all doctors and other healthcare professionals who have not yet received their salaries to not report to work until they are paid.

The provincial health department has acknowledged a delay in paying the January salaries of some interns and community service doctors after an administrative error in which their posts were not created on time.

EWN reported last week that several Gauteng medical interns and community service doctors had contacted them, claiming that they had not received their salaries on January 28, as expected.

It reported that it had seen WhatsApp messages, emails and memos informing the doctors – who are completing their community service year at various hospitals in the province – of the delay.

Chronic absenteeism of teachers has always been blamed for poor performance of pupils in Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and school dropouts.

The exodus of doctors, engineers and other highly skilled workers is a headache for a government hoping to engage with its largely youthful electorate ahead of the vote on April 18.

Durban - Laughter may be the best medicine, and for former Durbanite Suhayl Essa, a community service doctor, it’s the only thing getting him through the tough months without money.

The strength of professional unions, say of teachers, doctors and nurses, is clearly showing up in the way wages are distributed among employees of the national and county governments.

Teachers at state-run schools want their salaries significantly hiked to cushion them from rising prices and growing economic hardships.

The report is based on a comparison of more than 140,000 online job listings and the average rental prices in cities across the country.