The SA Medical Association is to probe reports that some medical students are negotiating to pay up to R100,000 to secure their preferred internships.
Sama chair Dr Angelique Coetzee said on Monday, 23 November, that apart from being unethical and unfair, doctors are duty-bound to provide medical care to those who need it and not to those who they want to provide it to — whether it be in areas or hospitals that suit them, reports TimesLive.
“We simply cannot have a situation where intern positions are being ‘sold’ for whatever reason. The placement of interns is a difficult process, and many doctors are unfortunately not placed where they want to be. For those fortunate enough to have found placements, to now sell them to the highest bidders is not fair on others waiting for legitimate placements,” Coetzee said.
“Given the complexities and historical issues with the placement of intern doctors, the current haggling over preferred placements is out of touch with the realities of the situation. And, ultimately, this sends the message that with enough money, certain people are able to buy themselves the placements of their choice, a situation we cannot accept or tolerate,” Coetzee said.
At the weekend, Iol reported that the horse trading is happening on social media and messaging apps including Facebook and Telegram. KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Western Cape are the most coveted spots.
Some offered thousands of rand for their preferred placement and one attempted to auction her placement to help pay towards student loans.
The public group on Facebook, Swapping Out: Medical Internship and Commserv in SA, has about 4,800 members and there are about 1,800 in the Junior Doctors Association of SA (Judasa) 2021 Internship Cycle group on messaging app Telegram. This is where the hopefuls attempt to swop placements, with some attempting to sweeten the deal with compensation.
In the Judasa group on Telegram, one student, whose messages have since been deleted, messaged on behalf of a friend who offered R100,000 and her placement in Bloemfontein in exchange for placement in either Potchefstroom or Gauteng.
Another student, also in the Judasa group, began the bidding for her Potchefstroom placement at R40,000 but her messages were also deleted after stirring up controversy.
Numerous interns confirmed this was a real and ongoing practice among those leaving medical school and at hospitals.
Dr Kerrin Begg, Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Affairs at University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences said: “I can understand that students are still feeling extremely stressed, but certainly we would not condone payment or any that for positions. It’s contrary to everything we would advocate.”
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-11-24-association-probes-posts-for-cash-scandal-among-medical-students/"]Full TimesLIVE report[/link]
[link url="https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/med-students-splash-cash-for-posts-medical-association-slams-payments-as-unethical-8195c3b2-bc13-4d2e-9763-7e2fa9a31b04"]Full IoL report[/link]