125,000 healthcare workers in South Africa call it quits
Over 125,000 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals have resigned in South Africa over the past decade, presenting a crisis for the country’s healthcare sector.
The Department of Health presented shocking statistics in response to questions raised by Democratic Alliance MP Michelle Clarke about the number of resignations in the sector since 2013.
According to the department, South Africa has seen 125,123 healthcare professionals leave the state’s personnel and payroll system (Persal) since 2013.
While the figure was reported in March 2025, the department did not break down the specific professions of the healthcare workers who resigned.
Now, the department has revealed that between 2013 and 2025, South Africa lost 12,745 doctors, 58,897 nurses, 1,341 pharmacists, and 23,941 administrative personnel.
On top of this, 28,199 other healthcare practitioners have also left.
While the decline in healthcare personnel in the system has been fairly consistent over the years, there was a notable spike in doctors leaving the system between 2021 and 2023.
2024 saw a notable drop in professionals leaving across all groups, though this was less pronounced among nurses.
Because the data was captured until the end of January 2025, only 286 professionals have been recorded leaving the system this year. The number is expected to climb significantly by the end of the year.
| Healthcare professional | Resigned (Jan 2013 – Jan 2025) | Average per year |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors | 12,745 | 1,062 |
| Nurses | 58,897 | 4,908 |
| Pharmacists | 1,341 | 111 |
| Other Healthcare Workers | 28,199 | 2,349 |
| Adminstrative Personnel | 23,941 | 1,995 |
| Total | 125,123 | 10,426 |
Why South Africa is losing healthcare professionals
The department did not provide any specific reasoning for the resignations as the data is captured from the Persal system.
However, it does reflect industry trends and warnings that have been echoing in the country for years.
On top of strained budgets in provincial health departments, South African healthcare professionals have been ageing out of the system, without the necessary skills to fill the vacancies.
Others have just left the country altogether.
South Africa’s healthcare system has been facing an escalating funding crisis for years, with austerity budgets leaving little funding for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to be placed in the public sector.
While the 2025 budget has been boosted—at great cost to taxpayers—it barely addresses the sector’s perennial underfunding over the years.
Industry bodies like the South African Medical Association (SAMA) have been urging the government to address this for years, warning that there are not enough professionals to address the needs of the population.
According to SAMA, South Africa is in crisis with the number of doctors per population at 0.3 per thousand. This is significantly less than the 2.5 that the World Health Organisation recommends.
While South Africa struggles to find the funding to employ healthcare professionals in the public sector, its policy moves are also pushing professionals from both the public and private sector away from the country.
Industry bodies like SAMA have also warned that the government’s dogged pursuit of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme—against all reasonable engagement and input from the industry—is pushing doctors and nurses to the exit.
A recent industry survey by medical aid Profmed found that 90% of healthcare professionals think the NHI will fail.
Previous surveys run by groups like union Solidarity, found that a significant number of professionals would not stick around to see it fail, plotting an exit when it is in effect.
Healthcare professionals are in high demand across the world and have options.
Data from immigration groups have consistently flagged healthcare workers as being in high-demand in destinations like Canada, Ireland and Europe, with many local professionals already going.
Worryingly, this is impacting the next generation of healthcare professionals as well, with immigration experts noting an uptick in newly graduated doctors who had just completed their community service now leaving.
In many cases, the NHI is cited as the reason.
“All of the doctors who come to us note the NHI. They see it as an existential threat to their livelihood,” the experts said.
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