The newly launched portal, a digital platform called e-Recruitment is meant to speed-up the recruitment of the health professionals.

According to the department, this is to ensure that there is enough capacity in the province to deal with the anticipated rise in the number of people testing positive for the virus.

“Response to COVID-19 with more patients being discovered and the need for extra resources in tracer groups and health service providers has prompted this decision since normal recruitment processes take longer,” says Kwara Kekana, spokesperson for the health MEC.

The roles available are in the fields of medical officers, nursing, operational management, radiography, physiotherapy, speech and audiology therapy. New positions will be loaded as and when the need arises during the period.

Kekana adds that “it is not clear at the moment how many more people we will require as this is a moving target. Currently 409 positions will be advertised with the hope of employing professionals on a 12-month contract to be reviewed once the pandemic is over.”

She says the recruitment drive hasn’t got a closing date and appointments will be done on a first come basis for candidates who meet the criteria and are available to report for duty immediately.

As of April 1, the department of health had reported five deaths, 1 353 people are confirmed to have tested positive for Covid-19, and there have been 31 recoveries. 

Gauteng remains the leading province when it comes to the number of people who have tested positive for the virus. – Health-e News

For more information on Covid-19 in South Africa, you can call the toll-free line on 0800 029 999, or you can send a message that says “Hi” on WhatsApp to the number 060 012 3456. You can also visit the SA Coronavirus website.