John Steenhausen of the Department of Agriculture. Photo: Dwayne Senior/Getty Images
aAgriculture Minister John Steenhuisen will meet with agriculture officials and other stakeholders in the veterinary sector to address South Africa's shortage of veterinarians.
last week, Mail & Guardian Reports suggest that hundreds of veterinarians are leaving the country each year, creating a shortage of veterinarians and a sector that is struggling to fill the gap, especially in rural areas.
In a statement, Steenhuisen said the department of agriculture was “firmly committed to ensuring improved working conditions for animal health workers in South Africa”.
He acknowledged that veterinarians do not have enough resources, medicines or remuneration, but added that the shortage has far-reaching implications, including on animal health, biosecurity and food security.
South Africa is well below international standards in terms of the ratio of veterinarians to the population.
South African Veterinary Association president Paul van der Merwe said the global standard was 200 to 400 veterinarians per million people, but South Africa only had 60 per million. He said the association frequently received reports of rural veterinary clinics closing down due to financial reasons and lack of staff.
In a statement on Monday, the department of agriculture said there are 4,000 registered veterinarians in South Africa.
A survey conducted by the association in 2022 found that the majority of veterinarians leaving the country were under the age of 25. Reasons for the exodus included safety, financial concerns, career advancement, working conditions and regulations on veterinary services.
Steenhuisen said on Monday he recognised the seriousness of the situation because veterinarians play a vital role in keeping the agricultural sector safe.
“Veterinarians are key to the success of South African agriculture and if the systemic issues they face are not addressed, not only could their wellbeing be put at risk, but also the country's food security,” he said.
