South Africa’s Gauteng province is facing a shortage of over 4,000 nurses, as public healthcare facilities deal with a growing number of patients and staff shortages, Member of the Executive Council for Health, Faith Mazibuko, said.
At a seminar on investment in health and well-being, Mazibuko said nurse shortages can lead to burnout among nurses and healthcare workers due to overwork, stress, and exhaustion, pushing some to retire early. Meanwhile, many doctors remain unemployed because of budgetary constraints.
Hospitals in the province recorded nearly 5.8 million outpatient consultations and 670,807 hospital admissions during the 2025-2026 period, receiving patients from across Africa. Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, officially built to accommodate 1,500 patients, now has nearly 2,000 beds, she said.
Pressure is also high at primary healthcare facilities, which treated 8,026,972 patients, while outreach programs reached a further 8,491,700 people. Long queues and inadequate infrastructure are making access to healthcare more difficult.
Mazibuko highlighted the province’s lack of resources and called on businesses to support building hospitals in disadvantaged areas and upgrading older clinics.