Thursday, 28 March, 2024
HomeSouth AfricaReturning doctors complain of 'unfair' HPCSA regulations

Returning doctors complain of 'unfair' HPCSA regulations

Hundreds of South African doctors who have studied medicine abroad fear their degrees could be rendered worthless because of 'unfair' regulations by the Health Professions Council of SA, says a Sunday Tribune report.

The regulations state that returning doctors must complete an internship in the country in which they studied, before they sit for their HPCSA board exams. However, medical students who study in Cuba on state bursaries are not affected and are allowed to undergo their internships in South Africa.

The doctors said the regulations kicked in this month despite being in existence since 2009. They had never been enforced, they claimed. The doctors said it wasn’t possible to complete internships in the country of study in some countries, as they didn’t allow foreign graduates to intern because of work permit issues. According to the report they said their only option was to return to South Africa and complete an internship here, but the Department of Health apparently would not accept this, even on a voluntary basis.

The aggrieved doctors, including medical students who are still studying abroad, have bandied together on forums on social media to air their frustrations. A returning doctor who studied in China, but asked not to be named as he feared victimisation, said his family made great financial sacrifices for him to study abroad. He has been back in the country since early last year but cannot practice medicine as he has yet to write his board exams.

“The HPCSA approves a small number of returning doctors to write the board exams each year. Only a few seats were available last year. Students invested time and money to prepare themselves and were told at the 11th hour that they wouldn’t get to write the exams because they overbooked the number that could be accommodated and that they would have to try again,” said the doctor.

The report says some of the doctors were hit with a double blow earlier this month when they were told they would no longer be eligible to write board exams without completing internships abroad.

“Some doctors are willing to intern for free in South Africa just to be able to get the experience and be able to write our board exams. It is our home country, after all. We already have a critical shortage of doctors and the reason we went abroad to study is the unfair entrance systems at our medical schools. We are back here to help our ailing (health) system, but we are not treated fairly,” the doctor said.

HPCSA spokesperson Priscilla Sekhonyana said returning doctors had to have satisfactory duty internship certificates verified by the Education Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates and an original certificate of good standing from a regulatory body. She said the rules had been the same since 2009.

Department of Health spokesperson Popo Maja said doctors were not allowed to intern without the proper procedures being followed. Nobody was allowed to “just intern for free,” Maja said in the report.

[link url="https://www.iol.co.za/sunday-tribune/news/doctors-face-harsh-rule-on-return-to-sa-13474297"]Sunday Tribune report[/link]

MedicalBrief — our free weekly e-newsletter

We'd appreciate as much information as possible, however only an email address is required.