Young doctors and dentists offered free medical aid cover for a year

Young doctors and dentists making the tough transition from study to practice are eligible for 12 months of free medical aid cover from Profmed.

The medical scheme said eligible candidates must be under the age of 30, must have completed community service in the past two years and are either unemployed or have found work within the previous six months.

The initiative is linked to finDR, a digital platform launched by Profmed to connect newly qualified medical professionals with job placements across the country as locums and in permanent positions. More than 800 qualified doctors are on the platform.

“This isn’t only about benefits,” said Profmed CEO Craig Comrie. “It’s about ensuring young professionals don’t fall through the cracks.

“We’ve heard from far too many doctors who, after years of study and community service, are left without work, income or the ability to access private health care. That’s unacceptable.”

This comes amid concerns about the pressure young doctors work under, prompting a call for healthcare professionals to recognise the risk of burnout and depression by Dr Bavi Vythilingum, a psychiatrist practising at a Netcare Akeso clinic in Kenilworth, Cape Town.

“It is deeply concerning that at least 50% to 60% of healthcare professionals will experience depression at some point during their working lives. Junior doctors are particularly vulnerable, and their risk for depression and burnout seems to be increasing.

“One of the factors that contributes to burnout is work overload as doctors are expected to do more and more within the same amount of time.

“Beyond patient consultations, they face a growing mountain of paperwork, from medical aid forms and insurance requirements to documentation and providing clinical feedback on patients with complex medical needs.”

Vythilingum said doctors are expected to never fall ill physically and with their mental health.

“We are expected to keep going, no matter what. This means many doctors don’t seek mental health care when they need it, often because they are afraid this reflects negatively on their competence or ability to practice.

“Tragically, doctors often wait until they can’t cope before seeking mental healthcare, and by then it becomes more difficult for us to help, where earlier intervention could have prevented such a serious decline that it may affect all areas of their lives.

“Like their patients, doctors must feel empowered to seek help early, whether through confidential counselling, peer support groups or mental health resources tailored to healthcare professionals.”

Netcare invited South Africans to join an international awareness movement aimed at increasing support for mental health for medical professionals.

“Everyone is encouraged to wear colourful, mismatched or otherwise attention-grabbing socks to mark Crazy Socks 4 Docs on the first Friday in June every year,” the hospital group said.

TimesLIVE