Everyone deserves a break especially, our hard-working doctors. The Ministry of Health announced the new limited hours of operation for the outpatient ward at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Moto’otua.

This is because some doctors have taken their well-deserved annual or overdue leave. This has left a large gap to fill. These doctors were already working extra hours and shifts. The issue of doctor shortage has persisted for some time.

A notice from the Ministry of Health on Monday informed the public of new hours at the Acute Primary Care Clinic (APCC) or outpatient clinic starting Monday this week.

The clinic will operate from 8 am to 8 pm from 16 December 2024 due to a “severe reduction in the number of doctors,” as said in the notice.

While most are taking a break, there is also talk of one resigning to return to New Zealand.

The situation at the Ministry of Health now is that the doctors are feeling burnt out. Apart from their normal duties, they were also doing their duty at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

They have been bearing the load of the failure of the ministry and the government to adequately staff the hospital.

Doctors and nurses alike have been burning the midnight oil for a long time. It is in their right to go on leave and look after themselves. The constant long hours and being on-call do affect their health as well. The medical personnel sacrifice their time with family and children to abide by their oath.

In September this year, the Minister of Health Valasi Tafito Selesele told the Samoa Observer that a shortage of doctors may hinder the establishment of a hospital in each district. Each district has the ambition of having its hospital but it is all but a pipe dream for now.

Earlier this year, the Dean of the Oceania University of Medicine Professor Asiata Dr. Satupaitea Viali highlighted the need for 100 more doctors in the health system to fill the current shortage in the public health service.

In an article, he has written for the Samoa Observer on medical training, he says there is a need to train at least 100 more doctors.

The agreed fact is that there is a shortage of doctors. It is also agreed that doctors go above and beyond working hours to fill the shortage. It is also agreed that most doctors now do not want to work overtime because they are not being compensated accordingly.

We can also agree that the shortage of doctors is not a new issue and is not isolated to Samoa. The health ministry has a daunting task of filling the vacant positions and we hope it can be done sooner rather than later.

Let us hope that during the time the hours of the outpatients have been shortened, there would be smart rostering of doctors so severe cases can be dealt with accordingly. More than anything, we need to ensure key areas such as maternity and emergency are covered.

The public needs to understand that this is a situation that is out of everyone’s hands. That does not take away the fact that there is much to be done about the state of the public health system and its infrastructure.

The state of the public health system reflects the health of the state.