To address critical staff shortages within the health sector, the Eastern Cape government plans on hiring about 1,510 doctors and nurses at a cost of R1bn in the 2025/26 financial year.
A total of R3.2bn will be spent over the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF).
This was announced by finance MEC Mlungisi Mvoko during his 2025/2026 Eastern Cape budget speech in Bhisho on Tuesday.
He said the Department of Health would be allocated R31.6bn in the 2025/26 financial year and R97bn over the MTEF.
“To continue with the provision of essential medical supplies and medicines at clinics and hospitals, we have set aside an amount of R2.4bn in 2025/26 and R10.2bn over the MTEF,” Mvoko said.
He said the province would strengthen the rollout of community outreach programmes through ward-based primary healthcare to provide an effective response to HIV/Aids, TB, and cervical cancer patients for girls between nine to 14 years of age, with a budget amounting to R3.1bn in the 2025/2026 financial year.
He set aside R64.9m in 2025/2026 for the rollout of the National Health Insurance (NHI) programme.
The Herald
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