For patients’ sake gov't, doctors must unite

After weeks of conflict, court battles, and disrupted healthcare services, the promise of talks beginning May 10 offers hope. But this can't be another hollow truce. Both sides must now commit to genuine, good-faith negotiations. The stakes — patients’ lives and public trust in the healthcare system — are too high for half-hearted efforts.

The dispute began when doctors, frustrated by what they called 'exploitation' in emergency call duties, limited their services in April. The government’s initial failure to engage forced the BDU’s hand, leading to reduced staffing and strained services. When the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) dragged the union to court, relations hit rock bottom. Thankfully, a last-minute consensus spared the nation a prolonged crisis. Doctors agreed to resume emergency duties whilst talks proceed, and both sides appointed a trusted mediator, Felix Lesetedi.