Article Sidebar
Published:
Apr 30, 2014Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Human resource management practices in a medical complex in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: Assessing their impact on the retention of doctors
Abstract
Objective. To explore the key human resource (HR) practices affecting doctors in a medical complex in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Methods. We used an open-ended questionnaire to gather data from 75 doctors in this setting.
Results. The most important HR practices were paying salaries on time and accurately, the management of documentation, communication,
HR staff showing that they respected and valued the doctors, and reimbursement for conferences and special leave requests. All these
practices were judged to be poorly administered. Essential HR characteristics were ranked in the following order: task competence of HR
staff, accountability, general HR efficiency, occupation-specific dispensation adjustments and performance management and development system efficiency, and availability of HR staff. All these characteristics were judged to be poor.
Conclusion. HRM practices in this Eastern Cape medical complex were inadequate and a source of frustration. This lack of efficiency could lead to further problems with regard to retaining doctors in public sector service.
