RSA: Packing for Canada
January 2003 - 1620
VISUALS: AIRPORT - DR. VENTER LEAVING WITH FAMILY SAYING GOODBYE
Dr Ilse Venter has just completed her community service year in rural Free State.
Her six year degree was heavily subsidized by government.
But she's not going to work in South Africa.
She's about to become one of almost two thousand South African doctors who have left their country of birth, to live and work in Canada.
TITLE: PACKING FOR CANADA
DECEMBER 2001
Senekal, in the Eastern Free State, where government doctors are scarce.
The town's hospital has no permanent doctors.
Medical students doing community service are the only way out.
State clinics here are even worse off.
They have to share the hospital's doctors.
Most are lucky if they have a doctor once a week.
CLIP 1: SISTER LOUISA MOKHORO/SENEKAL GOVERNMENT CLINIC
TAPE 3: 03:15:44
WE NEED MORE DOCTORS. MAYBE IF THEY CAN GIVE US HERE AT THE
CLINIC A DOCTOR WHO WILL DO SESSIONS EVERY DAY. BECAUSE THERE
IS ONLY ONE DOCTOR WHO COMES HERE ONCE A WEEK ON TUESDAYS, AND
FOR A FEW HOURS ONLY. AND THE PATIENTS SUFFER REALLY.
But doctors don't want to settle here.
They find it too rural, and often unfulfilling.
This year, Dr Ilse Venter and two colleagues were the town's only medical hopes.
They worked as community service doctors in Senekal.
CLIP 2: DR ILSE VENTER/COMMUNITY SERVICE DOCTOR
TAPE 4: 04:30:25
BUT IT'S VERY GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
THEY REALLY NEEED US AND I CAN SEE THAT I'VE HELPED PEOPLE. BUT FOR ME AS
A PERSON AND A DOCTOR IT HAS NOT BROUGHT ANY EXPERIENCE.
Because there are only three doctors, Dr Venter is on call 80 percent of the time.
But Senekal is a small place with few emergencies.
She mostly spends her working time waiting for something to happen.
CLIP 3: DR ILSE VENTER
TAPE 2: 02:04:52
THAT MEANS THAT EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE YEAR YOU ARE IN SENEKAL
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE HERE. YOU HAVE NO OTHER PLACE TO DO.
YOU HAVE NO OTHER PLACE TO GO TO. NO OTHER THINGS TO DO.
Most patients visiting Senekal's state hospital are poor.
They can't afford medication.
And the state doesn't have enough money for all the medicine thats needed.
It makes Dr Venter's job difficult.
She wants to help, but often can't.
CLIP 4: DR ILSE VENTER
TAPE 1: 01:23:50
IT'S VERY UNFULFILLING, BECAUSE YOU LEARN PRACTICALLY IN BOOKS
WHAT TO GIVE TO PEOPLE, BUT CANNOT GIVE IT TO THEM, BECAUSE IT'S
GOVERNMENT AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE MEDICINE. OR THE PEOPLE CAN'T PAY,
BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A SYSTEM - SOME OF THE DRUGS THEY CAN GIVE SOME OF
THE DRUGS IF THEY PAY A CERTAIN AMOUNT EXTRA. AND THE PEOPLE JUST CAN'T PAY.
Seven out of ten of Dr Venter's patients are HIV positive.
Because getting to hospital costs money, most of them only come when they're already very ill.
Dr Venter doesn't have anti-aids drugs to give them.
CLIP 5: DR ILSE VENTER
TAPE 4: 04:21:43
SEVEN OUR OF TEN PATIENTS WE SEE - OR I SEE - HAS GOT THIS DISEASE AND
YOU CAN'T TO ANYTHING ELSE FOR THEM. AND THAT'S VERY UNFULFILLING.
It's not only AIDS patients she can't help.
Hospital staff deal with crime victims every day.
CLIP 10: ILSE VENTER
TAPE 4: 04:24:55
WE SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CRIME VERY DAY. GUN SHOT WOUNDS, STAB WOUNDS, RAPE CASES...
AND IT'S TERRIBLE: YOU GET TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLENCE EVERY DAY. SO YOU LIVE WITH IT.
Dr Venter earns twelve thousand rand a month.
From this she has to pay off a seventy thousand rand study loan and her car and buy food and rent
In South Africa, it will take her almost as long as she's studied to pay back her loan.
By the time she's finished paying, she'll be thirty-three.
(NAT SOUND)
But she's made another plan.
She's going to live and work in Canada.
CLIP 6:TAPE 1: 01:18:50
I WILL EARN ABOUT SIX TIMES MORE IN CANADA AS I WOULD AS A MEDICAL OFFICER IN SOUTH AFRICA.
SO IT WILL TAKE ME APPROXIMATELY FOUR OR FIVE YEARS WORKING HERE AS A MEDICAL OFFICER
TO PAY BACK THAT LOAN. THE SAME WOULD TAKE ONE YEAR IN CANADA.
Canada doesn't only offer a bigger salary.
All Dr Venter's traveling expenses will be paid for.
And she'll receive an extra allowance for working in a rural town.
Most of her student friends will do the same.
CLIP 7: ILSE VENTER
TAPE 5: 05:16:25
IN MY CIRCLE OF FRIENDS WE ARE ABOUT FIFTEEN PEOPLE THAT ARE LEAVING SOUTH AFRICA.
NOT NECESSARILY FOR CANADA BUT FOR OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL - IN THE NEXT YEAR.
AND THAT'S ONLY MY CIRCLE OF FRIENDS. 16:44 I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE - OTHER PEOPLE -
FRIENDS OF FRIENDS - WHO ARE ALSO LEAVING AND ALL OF THEM ARE DOCTORS.
Dr Venter will be going to Fort St James, a small town in the north of Canada, where it's winter for most of the year.
It's the Senekal of Canada - local doctors find it too remote.
But this hasn't deterred physicians like Dr Venter.
For the past six years, all the doctors in Fort St James have been South Africans.
CLIP 8: MAYOR JIM TOYGI (CHECK)
CAM TAPE 4
06:03:15
WE WOULD BE IN DIRE STRAITS IF IT WASN'T FOR THE SOUTH AFRICANS. IF THAT IS
AN INDICATION - THERE IS ONLY ONE CANADIAN GRADUATE DOCTOR THAT SHOWED UP HERE
IN THE PAST SIX YEARS....HE DID NOT STAY VERY LONG, SO YEAH IF IT WASN'T FOR
THE SOUTH AFRICANS, I THINK WE WOULD DEFINITELY BE IN SERIOUS DIFFULTIES HERE. 3:48
Two thirds of Dr Venter's studies were subsidized by government.
It's cost the state two hundred thousand rand.
Canada - and not South Africa - will now benefit from this investment.
But she believes her one year internship and another year of community service have paid for it.
CLIP 9: ILSE VENTER
TAPE 5: 05:10:53
I DON'T REALLY FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR LEAVING SOUTH AFRICA, THE COUNTRY THAT SUBSIDIZED
ME. I HAVE STUDIED FOR SIX YEARS AND WAS FORCED TO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT FOR TWO
YEARS. IN THE TIME THAT I'VE STUDIED I WAS FORCED TO TAKE A BIG STUDY LOAN AS WELL.
Dr Venter doesn't intend moving to Canada permanently.
But most of those who left before her, have stayed on.
They're raising their families in remote Canadian towns and have applied for citizenship.
In the process, desperate towns like Senekal have been abandoned in exchange for what many doctors perceive as better living and working conditions.
PART 2
VISUALS: DINNER (EVEYRONE SPEAKS AFRIKAANS)AT ONE OF DOCTORS HOMES
MAY 2002
It could have been a gathering in one of Johannesburg's northern suburbs.
Doctors dining in Afrikaans. (Doctors dinner table conversation in Afrikaans)
But it's not on South African soil.
It's an evening in a small town in northern Canada.
Five months after our previous visit to dr Ilse Venter, Fort St James has become her new home.
CLIP 1
DR ILSE VENTER/SA DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
ILSE CAM TAPE 2 CONT 03:14:20
IT'S ACTUALLY GREAT, BECAUSE DOCTORS KNOW WHERE I'M COMING FROM.
THEY KNOW THE MEDICINE I AM USED TO - THEY ARE GUIDING ME IN WHAT I DO,
THEY HAVE LOTS MORE EXPERIENCE, THE ONE DOCTOR HAS BEEN HERE FOR SIXTEEN YEARS ALREADY,
AND THE OTHER DOCTOR FOR TWO YEARS AND THEY'RE PLANNING ON STAYING HERE FOREVER.
All the doctors here are South African.
They've been vigorously recruited by the Canadian health department, because few local doctors want to work here.
Dr Venter is earning the equivalent of up to one and a half million rand a year.
On top of this she's also received a sixty thousand rand signing bonus and
108 thousand rands for coming to work in a rural town.
CLIP 2
MAURICE LE BLANC/RECRUITER
TAPE 6: 08:06:50
THEY'RE COMING AT A TIME WHEN WE'RE VERY SHORT OF DOCTORS. THE ONES THAT COME TO
SMALL TOWNS, THEY LOVE SMALL TOWNS, THEY REALLY GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY,
HAVING THEIR FREEDOMS TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WHENEVER THEY WANT, HAVING
OUR DOLLAR THAT IS SIX TIMES MORE THAN THEIR RAND. IT MAKES THEM HAPPY,
VERY HAPPY.
(NAT SOUND AFRIKAANS)
Dr Venter works with four other South African doctors.
In South Africa she used to see AIDS patients and crime victims.
She now mainly sees patients with common complaints like colds or skin rushes.
She can give them the all medicine they need, because the state pays for everything. *
CLIP 3
DR ILSE VENTER
CAM TAPE 2 (CONT)
03:16:20
AVAILIBILITY OF MEDICINE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE. IN OUR COUNTRY -
IF YOU NEED TO GIVE YOUR PATIENT MEDICINE, YOU CAN GIVE IT HERE.
IT'S MUCH MORE AVAILABLE. THEY CAN GET EVERYTHING THEY NEED. IN SOUTH AFRICA
IT'S NOT THAT EASY.
But doctor Venter has left behind a country in desperate need of doctors.
One that's paid two thirds of her studies and that needs her skills.
In some rural areas in South Africa there's only one doctor for every hundred thousand people.
CLIP 5
MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG/HEALTH MINISTER
MANTO TAPE
23:10:11 AND SO, IF THEY PAY YOU TEN TIMES MORE THAN IN SOUTH AFRICA,
AND THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING IN SOUTH AFRICA AND WE NEED YOUR SKILLS,
WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT THAT? It'S NOT MONEY THAT IS GOING TO HEAL SOUTH AFRICA,
WE NEED YOUR SKILLS, IT'S YOUR EXPERTISE, YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF
THE SITUATION OF YOUR OWN COMPATRIOTS, YOUR OWN PEOPLE IN SOUTH AFRICA AND I
THINK THAT REALLY MUST BE THE DRIVING FORCE,10:35 THAT SAYS I HAVE TO WORK IN THIS COUNTRY.
But doctors who've left, believe their community service and internship years
have paid for what the country has invested in them.
They don't feel guilty.
Dr Leon de Waal has lived in Canada for eight years.
He doesn't plan on returning to South Africa - ever.
CLIP 6
DR LEON DE WAAL/SA DOCTOR IN CANADA
REAL TAPE 7
09:15:48 IF YOU'VE DONE YOUR TIME, HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO GIVE? SO,
I DON'T SEE THERE BEING A PROBLEM HERE, I DON'T SEE IT BEING IMMORAL
TO CHOOSE A BETTER FUTURE. I SEE IT AS AN IMMORAL SITUATION THAT EXISTS AT THE MOMENT,
AND IF SOMEBODY DECIDED TO GET OUT OF THERE, THEN THAT SHOULD BE THEIR CHOICE. 16:09
Some say the Canadian government is stealing South Africa's doctors.
It's offering money the South African government can never match.
A wealthy Commonwealth country is using the resources of a poorer member for its own benefit.
MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG/HEALTH MINISTER
CLIP 7
MANTO TAPE 23:01:17
WE'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMONWEALTH, WE'VE BEEN
DISCUSSING THESE ISSUES AND TRY TO FIND A WAY IN WHICH WE CAN SIGN CONTRACTS
WITH THEM. WE DON'T WANT TO STOP THE DOCTORS FROM GOING ABORAD, BUT WE WANT
TO WORK OUT A MECHANISM FROM WHICH AT LEAST THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CAN
1:41 ALSO UNDERSTAND OUR POSITION, OUR PLIGHT.
But, the Canadians say, the problem lies with South Africa.
CLIP 8
DR JENNIFER RICE/CANADIAN HEALH DEPARTMENT
CAM TAPE 2: 01:06:29
(I DON'T BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE LEAVES THEIR COUNTRY OF BIRTH AND WHERE THEY'VE GROWN
UP JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE WALKS IN AND SAYS COME AND WORK FOR ME.) I BELIEVE THAT
DECISION HAS BEEN MADE BEFORE THEY START LOOKING FOR A JOB ABROAD 06:45 AND AS LONG AS
THAT DECISION HAS BEEN MADE, I'M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME
AND WORK FOR US AS OPPOSED TO GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE IN CANADA OR
ANOTHER COUNTRY SUCH AS AUSTRALIA. 6:58 AM I POACHING? I DON'T BELIEVE SO, I THINK
THE QUESTION HAS TO BE ASKED OF SOUTH AFRICA: WHY ARE YOUR DOCTORS LEAVING? THEY
NEED TO LOOK AT HOME FIRST, BEFORE THEY START BLAMING US.
Doctors say their concerns go further than working conditions.
They don't see a future for their children.
And they no longer feel safe in South Africa.
CLIP 9
DR LEON DE WAAL/SOUTH AFRICAN DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
TAPE 7
09:11:10 WHEN YOU'RE REMOVED FROM THAT SITUATION YOU ARE ACTUALLY
FORCED TO LOOK AT THINGS LIKE PEOPLE KILLING EACH OTHER FOR NO
REASON. 11:24 AND YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT AS A PROBLEM. WHEREAS AS
WHEN YOU LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA IT BECOMES PART OF THE DAILY
ROUTINE, YOU PICK UP THE PAPER AND YOU
READ 20 PEOPLE KILLED AND YOU TURN OVER AND YOU READ THE COMICS. 11:36
CLIP 10
DR GIOVANNI EUBANI/SOUTH AFRICAN DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
TAPE 9:11:05:25
THERE ARE JUST BETTER OPTIONS HERE, THE BASIC THINGS YOU NEED IS SAFETY AND FUTURE PROSPECTS.
THE ABILITY FOR YOU TO LEAVE YOUR WIFE, IF SHE DOES NOT GET WORK YOU CAN LEAVE HER
AT HOME AND SHE'LL BE SAFE WHEN YOU COME BACK. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT
IN SOUTH AFRICA ANYMORE.
But many believe South Africa's public health care system is a shambles because of an unequal
distribution of money in the past.
Something we all need to help repair.
MANTO TAPE
CLIP 11
DR MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG
22:52:29
I WOULD JUST URGE THEM TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF NEW PATRIOTISM IN THIS
COUNTRY BECAUSE I THINK ALL OF US ARE BEING CALLED UPON TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO
BUILD THIS INTO A NATION OF THE FIRST WORLD.I THINK WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO
DO SO. I THINK ALL OF US HAVE GOT A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SO, PARTICULARLY
IF SUBSIDIZED WITH THE TAX PAYERS MONEY.
Almost all the South African doctors in Canada are white.
But they say politics in the country has had nothing to do with their decision to leave.
CLIP 12
DR LEON DE WAAL
TAPE 7:09:21:36
I HAVE NOT HEARD ONE DOCTOR SAY THAT, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. BUT I HAVE HEARD
THEM SAY THEY COULD NOT SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID OF SOMEONE
BREAKING IN AND HARMING THEIR KIDS.
CLIP 13
Dr JENNIFER RICE/CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER/PRINCE GEORGE HEALTH REGION
CAM TAPE 2: 01:12:30
I REALLY HAVE NOT ASKED THAT QUESTION. MAYBE I'M NAÏVE, BUT IT DID NOT OCCUR TO
ME THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE BASIS FOR MOVING.
But most don't share the kind of patriotism the health minister is demanding.
CLIP 14
DR ILSE VENTER/SOUTH AFRICAN DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
CAM TAPE 2: 03:21:52
I'M HONEST WHEN I SAY I DON'T THINK I OWE SOUTH AFRICA ANYTHING. IT'S MY HOME
COUNTRY AND I LOVE MY COUNTRY AND I WILL GO BACK JUST BECAUSE THAT'S HOW I FEEL
BUT I DON'T THINK I OWE IT TO THEM TO STAY AND WORK THERE.
Close to two thousand South African doctors live and work in Canada.
In some provinces, one out of three medical officers are from South Africa.
They're in demand because of the high standard of their medical training.
The majority of them stay on.
The desperately needed skills of doctors like Ilse Venter may evade her country of birth forever.
January 2003 - 1620
VISUALS: AIRPORT - DR. VENTER LEAVING WITH FAMILY SAYING GOODBYE
Dr Ilse Venter has just completed her community service year in rural Free State.
Her six year degree was heavily subsidized by government.
But she's not going to work in South Africa.
She's about to become one of almost two thousand South African doctors who have left their country of birth, to live and work in Canada.
TITLE: PACKING FOR CANADA
DECEMBER 2001
Senekal, in the Eastern Free State, where government doctors are scarce.
The town's hospital has no permanent doctors.
Medical students doing community service are the only way out.
State clinics here are even worse off.
They have to share the hospital's doctors.
Most are lucky if they have a doctor once a week.
CLIP 1: SISTER LOUISA MOKHORO/SENEKAL GOVERNMENT CLINIC
TAPE 3: 03:15:44
WE NEED MORE DOCTORS. MAYBE IF THEY CAN GIVE US HERE AT THE
CLINIC A DOCTOR WHO WILL DO SESSIONS EVERY DAY. BECAUSE THERE
IS ONLY ONE DOCTOR WHO COMES HERE ONCE A WEEK ON TUESDAYS, AND
FOR A FEW HOURS ONLY. AND THE PATIENTS SUFFER REALLY.
But doctors don't want to settle here.
They find it too rural, and often unfulfilling.
This year, Dr Ilse Venter and two colleagues were the town's only medical hopes.
They worked as community service doctors in Senekal.
CLIP 2: DR ILSE VENTER/COMMUNITY SERVICE DOCTOR
TAPE 4: 04:30:25
BUT IT'S VERY GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
THEY REALLY NEEED US AND I CAN SEE THAT I'VE HELPED PEOPLE. BUT FOR ME AS
A PERSON AND A DOCTOR IT HAS NOT BROUGHT ANY EXPERIENCE.
Because there are only three doctors, Dr Venter is on call 80 percent of the time.
But Senekal is a small place with few emergencies.
She mostly spends her working time waiting for something to happen.
CLIP 3: DR ILSE VENTER
TAPE 2: 02:04:52
THAT MEANS THAT EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE YEAR YOU ARE IN SENEKAL
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE HERE. YOU HAVE NO OTHER PLACE TO DO.
YOU HAVE NO OTHER PLACE TO GO TO. NO OTHER THINGS TO DO.
Most patients visiting Senekal's state hospital are poor.
They can't afford medication.
And the state doesn't have enough money for all the medicine thats needed.
It makes Dr Venter's job difficult.
She wants to help, but often can't.
CLIP 4: DR ILSE VENTER
TAPE 1: 01:23:50
IT'S VERY UNFULFILLING, BECAUSE YOU LEARN PRACTICALLY IN BOOKS
WHAT TO GIVE TO PEOPLE, BUT CANNOT GIVE IT TO THEM, BECAUSE IT'S
GOVERNMENT AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE MEDICINE. OR THE PEOPLE CAN'T PAY,
BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A SYSTEM - SOME OF THE DRUGS THEY CAN GIVE SOME OF
THE DRUGS IF THEY PAY A CERTAIN AMOUNT EXTRA. AND THE PEOPLE JUST CAN'T PAY.
Seven out of ten of Dr Venter's patients are HIV positive.
Because getting to hospital costs money, most of them only come when they're already very ill.
Dr Venter doesn't have anti-aids drugs to give them.
CLIP 5: DR ILSE VENTER
TAPE 4: 04:21:43
SEVEN OUR OF TEN PATIENTS WE SEE - OR I SEE - HAS GOT THIS DISEASE AND
YOU CAN'T TO ANYTHING ELSE FOR THEM. AND THAT'S VERY UNFULFILLING.
It's not only AIDS patients she can't help.
Hospital staff deal with crime victims every day.
CLIP 10: ILSE VENTER
TAPE 4: 04:24:55
WE SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CRIME VERY DAY. GUN SHOT WOUNDS, STAB WOUNDS, RAPE CASES...
AND IT'S TERRIBLE: YOU GET TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLENCE EVERY DAY. SO YOU LIVE WITH IT.
Dr Venter earns twelve thousand rand a month.
From this she has to pay off a seventy thousand rand study loan and her car and buy food and rent
In South Africa, it will take her almost as long as she's studied to pay back her loan.
By the time she's finished paying, she'll be thirty-three.
(NAT SOUND)
But she's made another plan.
She's going to live and work in Canada.
CLIP 6:TAPE 1: 01:18:50
I WILL EARN ABOUT SIX TIMES MORE IN CANADA AS I WOULD AS A MEDICAL OFFICER IN SOUTH AFRICA.
SO IT WILL TAKE ME APPROXIMATELY FOUR OR FIVE YEARS WORKING HERE AS A MEDICAL OFFICER
TO PAY BACK THAT LOAN. THE SAME WOULD TAKE ONE YEAR IN CANADA.
Canada doesn't only offer a bigger salary.
All Dr Venter's traveling expenses will be paid for.
And she'll receive an extra allowance for working in a rural town.
Most of her student friends will do the same.
CLIP 7: ILSE VENTER
TAPE 5: 05:16:25
IN MY CIRCLE OF FRIENDS WE ARE ABOUT FIFTEEN PEOPLE THAT ARE LEAVING SOUTH AFRICA.
NOT NECESSARILY FOR CANADA BUT FOR OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL - IN THE NEXT YEAR.
AND THAT'S ONLY MY CIRCLE OF FRIENDS. 16:44 I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE - OTHER PEOPLE -
FRIENDS OF FRIENDS - WHO ARE ALSO LEAVING AND ALL OF THEM ARE DOCTORS.
Dr Venter will be going to Fort St James, a small town in the north of Canada, where it's winter for most of the year.
It's the Senekal of Canada - local doctors find it too remote.
But this hasn't deterred physicians like Dr Venter.
For the past six years, all the doctors in Fort St James have been South Africans.
CLIP 8: MAYOR JIM TOYGI (CHECK)
CAM TAPE 4
06:03:15
WE WOULD BE IN DIRE STRAITS IF IT WASN'T FOR THE SOUTH AFRICANS. IF THAT IS
AN INDICATION - THERE IS ONLY ONE CANADIAN GRADUATE DOCTOR THAT SHOWED UP HERE
IN THE PAST SIX YEARS....HE DID NOT STAY VERY LONG, SO YEAH IF IT WASN'T FOR
THE SOUTH AFRICANS, I THINK WE WOULD DEFINITELY BE IN SERIOUS DIFFULTIES HERE. 3:48
Two thirds of Dr Venter's studies were subsidized by government.
It's cost the state two hundred thousand rand.
Canada - and not South Africa - will now benefit from this investment.
But she believes her one year internship and another year of community service have paid for it.
CLIP 9: ILSE VENTER
TAPE 5: 05:10:53
I DON'T REALLY FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR LEAVING SOUTH AFRICA, THE COUNTRY THAT SUBSIDIZED
ME. I HAVE STUDIED FOR SIX YEARS AND WAS FORCED TO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT FOR TWO
YEARS. IN THE TIME THAT I'VE STUDIED I WAS FORCED TO TAKE A BIG STUDY LOAN AS WELL.
Dr Venter doesn't intend moving to Canada permanently.
But most of those who left before her, have stayed on.
They're raising their families in remote Canadian towns and have applied for citizenship.
In the process, desperate towns like Senekal have been abandoned in exchange for what many doctors perceive as better living and working conditions.
PART 2
VISUALS: DINNER (EVEYRONE SPEAKS AFRIKAANS)AT ONE OF DOCTORS HOMES
MAY 2002
It could have been a gathering in one of Johannesburg's northern suburbs.
Doctors dining in Afrikaans. (Doctors dinner table conversation in Afrikaans)
But it's not on South African soil.
It's an evening in a small town in northern Canada.
Five months after our previous visit to dr Ilse Venter, Fort St James has become her new home.
CLIP 1
DR ILSE VENTER/SA DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
ILSE CAM TAPE 2 CONT 03:14:20
IT'S ACTUALLY GREAT, BECAUSE DOCTORS KNOW WHERE I'M COMING FROM.
THEY KNOW THE MEDICINE I AM USED TO - THEY ARE GUIDING ME IN WHAT I DO,
THEY HAVE LOTS MORE EXPERIENCE, THE ONE DOCTOR HAS BEEN HERE FOR SIXTEEN YEARS ALREADY,
AND THE OTHER DOCTOR FOR TWO YEARS AND THEY'RE PLANNING ON STAYING HERE FOREVER.
All the doctors here are South African.
They've been vigorously recruited by the Canadian health department, because few local doctors want to work here.
Dr Venter is earning the equivalent of up to one and a half million rand a year.
On top of this she's also received a sixty thousand rand signing bonus and
108 thousand rands for coming to work in a rural town.
CLIP 2
MAURICE LE BLANC/RECRUITER
TAPE 6: 08:06:50
THEY'RE COMING AT A TIME WHEN WE'RE VERY SHORT OF DOCTORS. THE ONES THAT COME TO
SMALL TOWNS, THEY LOVE SMALL TOWNS, THEY REALLY GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY,
HAVING THEIR FREEDOMS TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WHENEVER THEY WANT, HAVING
OUR DOLLAR THAT IS SIX TIMES MORE THAN THEIR RAND. IT MAKES THEM HAPPY,
VERY HAPPY.
(NAT SOUND AFRIKAANS)
Dr Venter works with four other South African doctors.
In South Africa she used to see AIDS patients and crime victims.
She now mainly sees patients with common complaints like colds or skin rushes.
She can give them the all medicine they need, because the state pays for everything. *
CLIP 3
DR ILSE VENTER
CAM TAPE 2 (CONT)
03:16:20
AVAILIBILITY OF MEDICINE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE. IN OUR COUNTRY -
IF YOU NEED TO GIVE YOUR PATIENT MEDICINE, YOU CAN GIVE IT HERE.
IT'S MUCH MORE AVAILABLE. THEY CAN GET EVERYTHING THEY NEED. IN SOUTH AFRICA
IT'S NOT THAT EASY.
But doctor Venter has left behind a country in desperate need of doctors.
One that's paid two thirds of her studies and that needs her skills.
In some rural areas in South Africa there's only one doctor for every hundred thousand people.
CLIP 5
MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG/HEALTH MINISTER
MANTO TAPE
23:10:11 AND SO, IF THEY PAY YOU TEN TIMES MORE THAN IN SOUTH AFRICA,
AND THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING IN SOUTH AFRICA AND WE NEED YOUR SKILLS,
WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT THAT? It'S NOT MONEY THAT IS GOING TO HEAL SOUTH AFRICA,
WE NEED YOUR SKILLS, IT'S YOUR EXPERTISE, YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF
THE SITUATION OF YOUR OWN COMPATRIOTS, YOUR OWN PEOPLE IN SOUTH AFRICA AND I
THINK THAT REALLY MUST BE THE DRIVING FORCE,10:35 THAT SAYS I HAVE TO WORK IN THIS COUNTRY.
But doctors who've left, believe their community service and internship years
have paid for what the country has invested in them.
They don't feel guilty.
Dr Leon de Waal has lived in Canada for eight years.
He doesn't plan on returning to South Africa - ever.
CLIP 6
DR LEON DE WAAL/SA DOCTOR IN CANADA
REAL TAPE 7
09:15:48 IF YOU'VE DONE YOUR TIME, HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO GIVE? SO,
I DON'T SEE THERE BEING A PROBLEM HERE, I DON'T SEE IT BEING IMMORAL
TO CHOOSE A BETTER FUTURE. I SEE IT AS AN IMMORAL SITUATION THAT EXISTS AT THE MOMENT,
AND IF SOMEBODY DECIDED TO GET OUT OF THERE, THEN THAT SHOULD BE THEIR CHOICE. 16:09
Some say the Canadian government is stealing South Africa's doctors.
It's offering money the South African government can never match.
A wealthy Commonwealth country is using the resources of a poorer member for its own benefit.
MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG/HEALTH MINISTER
CLIP 7
MANTO TAPE 23:01:17
WE'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMONWEALTH, WE'VE BEEN
DISCUSSING THESE ISSUES AND TRY TO FIND A WAY IN WHICH WE CAN SIGN CONTRACTS
WITH THEM. WE DON'T WANT TO STOP THE DOCTORS FROM GOING ABORAD, BUT WE WANT
TO WORK OUT A MECHANISM FROM WHICH AT LEAST THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CAN
1:41 ALSO UNDERSTAND OUR POSITION, OUR PLIGHT.
But, the Canadians say, the problem lies with South Africa.
CLIP 8
DR JENNIFER RICE/CANADIAN HEALH DEPARTMENT
CAM TAPE 2: 01:06:29
(I DON'T BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE LEAVES THEIR COUNTRY OF BIRTH AND WHERE THEY'VE GROWN
UP JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE WALKS IN AND SAYS COME AND WORK FOR ME.) I BELIEVE THAT
DECISION HAS BEEN MADE BEFORE THEY START LOOKING FOR A JOB ABROAD 06:45 AND AS LONG AS
THAT DECISION HAS BEEN MADE, I'M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME
AND WORK FOR US AS OPPOSED TO GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE IN CANADA OR
ANOTHER COUNTRY SUCH AS AUSTRALIA. 6:58 AM I POACHING? I DON'T BELIEVE SO, I THINK
THE QUESTION HAS TO BE ASKED OF SOUTH AFRICA: WHY ARE YOUR DOCTORS LEAVING? THEY
NEED TO LOOK AT HOME FIRST, BEFORE THEY START BLAMING US.
Doctors say their concerns go further than working conditions.
They don't see a future for their children.
And they no longer feel safe in South Africa.
CLIP 9
DR LEON DE WAAL/SOUTH AFRICAN DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
TAPE 7
09:11:10 WHEN YOU'RE REMOVED FROM THAT SITUATION YOU ARE ACTUALLY
FORCED TO LOOK AT THINGS LIKE PEOPLE KILLING EACH OTHER FOR NO
REASON. 11:24 AND YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT AS A PROBLEM. WHEREAS AS
WHEN YOU LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA IT BECOMES PART OF THE DAILY
ROUTINE, YOU PICK UP THE PAPER AND YOU
READ 20 PEOPLE KILLED AND YOU TURN OVER AND YOU READ THE COMICS. 11:36
CLIP 10
DR GIOVANNI EUBANI/SOUTH AFRICAN DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
TAPE 9:11:05:25
THERE ARE JUST BETTER OPTIONS HERE, THE BASIC THINGS YOU NEED IS SAFETY AND FUTURE PROSPECTS.
THE ABILITY FOR YOU TO LEAVE YOUR WIFE, IF SHE DOES NOT GET WORK YOU CAN LEAVE HER
AT HOME AND SHE'LL BE SAFE WHEN YOU COME BACK. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT
IN SOUTH AFRICA ANYMORE.
But many believe South Africa's public health care system is a shambles because of an unequal
distribution of money in the past.
Something we all need to help repair.
MANTO TAPE
CLIP 11
DR MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG
22:52:29
I WOULD JUST URGE THEM TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF NEW PATRIOTISM IN THIS
COUNTRY BECAUSE I THINK ALL OF US ARE BEING CALLED UPON TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO
BUILD THIS INTO A NATION OF THE FIRST WORLD.I THINK WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO
DO SO. I THINK ALL OF US HAVE GOT A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SO, PARTICULARLY
IF SUBSIDIZED WITH THE TAX PAYERS MONEY.
Almost all the South African doctors in Canada are white.
But they say politics in the country has had nothing to do with their decision to leave.
CLIP 12
DR LEON DE WAAL
TAPE 7:09:21:36
I HAVE NOT HEARD ONE DOCTOR SAY THAT, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. BUT I HAVE HEARD
THEM SAY THEY COULD NOT SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID OF SOMEONE
BREAKING IN AND HARMING THEIR KIDS.
CLIP 13
Dr JENNIFER RICE/CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER/PRINCE GEORGE HEALTH REGION
CAM TAPE 2: 01:12:30
I REALLY HAVE NOT ASKED THAT QUESTION. MAYBE I'M NAÏVE, BUT IT DID NOT OCCUR TO
ME THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE BASIS FOR MOVING.
But most don't share the kind of patriotism the health minister is demanding.
CLIP 14
DR ILSE VENTER/SOUTH AFRICAN DOCTOR WORKING IN CANADA
CAM TAPE 2: 03:21:52
I'M HONEST WHEN I SAY I DON'T THINK I OWE SOUTH AFRICA ANYTHING. IT'S MY HOME
COUNTRY AND I LOVE MY COUNTRY AND I WILL GO BACK JUST BECAUSE THAT'S HOW I FEEL
BUT I DON'T THINK I OWE IT TO THEM TO STAY AND WORK THERE.
Close to two thousand South African doctors live and work in Canada.
In some provinces, one out of three medical officers are from South Africa.
They're in demand because of the high standard of their medical training.
The majority of them stay on.
The desperately needed skills of doctors like Ilse Venter may evade her country of birth forever.