Consultations to extend the contracts are underway, said Free State Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi. The department is engaging both the National Treasury and the Office of the Premier to secure the necessary funding.

Failure to extend the contracts would have serious implications for the province’s healthcare system, he warned.

“For the past few years, we have not been appointing non-clinical personnel in positions like cleaners, clerks, and porters,” Mahlatsi said. As a result, the department is experiencing a significant staff shortage.

“We are relying on contract workers to perform those duties, and that’s why we have started a process to advertise the posts. Several facilities have already begun with interviews – even places like Bongani Hospital – and we are going to make permanent appointments,” he explained.

More than 200 posts have been advertised to stabilise the workforce. The department also plans to advertise additional positions in the new financial year to accommodate more contract workers and reduce over-reliance on temporary staff.

Free State Health MEC, Monyatso Mahlatsi. Photo: OFM News/Archive

The issue of contract renewals has been a contentious one in the province. Last year, the Department of Health, together with the Office of the Premier, faced public backlash and protests after a large number of health workers’ contracts were not renewed.

The decision sparked widespread criticism from political parties and unions, and health workers staged demonstrations outside the OR Tambo Building in Bloemfontein to protest what they called abrupt and unfair terminations. Following the protests, the department announced that the affected workers would be reinstated after the National Treasury made funds available.

Mahlatsi said the department is determined to prevent a repeat of that situation. Current consultations and recruitment efforts are focused on ensuring continuity in healthcare delivery and improving stability within the workforce.

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi mvh