htp://www.phcfm.org Open Access African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine ISSN: (Online) 2071-2936, (Print) 2071-2928 Page 1 of 5 Original Research Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online. Authors: Samuel T. Ntuli 1 Edwin Maboya 2 Afliatons: 1 Department of Public Health, University of Limpopo, South Africa 2 Department of Anesthesiology, University of Limpopo, South Africa Corresponding author: Samuel Ntuli, tsntuli@hotmail.com Dates: Received: 22 Feb. 2017 Accepted: 27 July 2017 Published: 27 Sept. 2017 How to cite this artcle: Ntuli ST, Maboya E. Geographical distributon and profle of medical doctors in public sector hospitals of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Afr J Prm Health Care Fam Med. 2017;9(1), a1443. htps://doi.org/10.4102/ phcfm.v9i1.1443 Copyright: © 2017. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creatve Commons Atributon License. Introducton The proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) by the government of South Africa (SA) is recognised as one of the best and the most responsive ways to improve the life expectancy of a population. 1 However, this proposed free access and low cost health service in SA is now threatened by lack of infrastructure and shortage of human resources, particularly medical doctors. The shortage and maldistribution of these professionals is a serious problem worldwide, 2,3,4,5,6,7 whereas the brain drain 8 and ageing of the workforce are additional problems exacerbating the situation. 9,10 In SA, the shortage and unequal distribution of medical doctors, with too few doctors servicing rural communities, is not a new phenomenon 11,12 and has been highlighted in the national media. 13,14,15,16,17 Several interventions such as training South Africans as doctors in Cuba, compulsory community service for graduate medical doctors, extension of internship to 2 years and the introduction of various financial incentives – such as scarce skills, rural allowances and the recruitment of Cuban doctors – have been tried in order to address shortage of doctors in remote and rural areas. 18,19,20,21 In 2007, the SA government introduced the occupation-specific dispensation (OSD) policy, a financial incentive strategy aimed at attracting and retaining health professionals in the public health sector. To date, it is not known whether the above initiatives are improving or worsening the availability of medical doctors in rural areas of SA, especially in the Limpopo Province. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish the geographical distribution and demographic profile of medical doctors in the public sector hospitals of the Limpopo Province, SA. Methodology Study design and populaton The study included all medical officers (MO) (generalists) and specialists working in Limpopo’s public sector hospitals. From the PERSAL records as at January 2015, there were 766 MOs and 99 Background: The shortage and unequal distribution of medical doctors in low- and middle- income countries continues to be a public health concern. Objective: To establish the geographical distribution and demographic profile of medical doctors in public sector hospitals of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Method: The PERSAL system was used to obtain information on the number of medical doctors employed in public sector hospitals of the Limpopo Province. Data were exported from PERSAL’s database and then analysed using STATA version 9.0. Result: The mean age of the 887 medical doctors was 40.1 ± 11.2 years (range 24–79 years). Sixty per cent of the doctors were male, 66% were aged ≤ 45 years and 84% were African. Most of the doctors (86%) were medical officers, of which 55% had < 5 years working experience. Overall, the doctor-to-population ratio for the five districts in the province was 16.4/100 000, with Capricorn (33.7/100 000) and Waterberg (20.2/100 000) recording the highest ratios. A large proportion (43%) of medical officers are employed in the Capricorn District, of which 71% were practising at the tertiary hospital. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a shortage and maldistribution of medical doctors in the public sector hospitals of the Limpopo Province. This has a potentially negative effect on the delivery of an appropriate and efficient healthcare service to the population and requires urgent attention. Geographical distributon and profle of medical doctors in public sector hospitals of the Limpopo Province, South Africa Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online.