NHLS facing pathologist shortage as it loses specialists to private sector

The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has lost more than 70% of its pathologists over the last five years, with specialists leaving the public health sector for better-paying jobs in private hospitals.

The service currently has a case backlog of almost 14,000. Some samples remain untouched, while others have been tested but await final sign-off from a pathologist. This was revealed during a Democratic Alliance (DA) visit to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg on Monday.

According to NHLS executive manager, Elis Schapkaitz, the four pathologists currently on staff are inundated, handling around 4,000 cases per month.

"To train a pathologist requires the commitment of these four pathologists, to train a registrar takes four years, and preparing them for part one and part two exams, supervising their research. And at the end of the four years, the NHLS recruits them, but what we found is that 60 to 80% of them who take up appointments leave for the private sector within the first year, so we continue to advertise our 17 posts," said Schapkaitz.