The ACDP expresses its concerns about the exodus of professional veterinarians, creating capacity constraints in the country due to the emigration of these professionals.
It has been reported that this exodus has caused a massive shortage of veterinarians in the country which has left vacancies in medical vicinities especially in rural areas as vets leave the country in numbers.
The figures released by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) record that some 100 veterinarians leave the country every year to work overseas, when only about 140 qualify every year.
South Africa has about 4 000 registered vets, whereby 230 are specialists. This means that there are just over 60 vets per million people whereas there should at least be between 200 and 400 vets per million people according to the general international standard according to the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC).
The ACDP says that more needs to be done to retain our well-trained and skilled South African vets who have the necessary skills to address the multiplicity of animal and related challenges facing our nation.
