| |
Health
There are more than 34 500 doctors registered with the Health Professionals Council of South Africa.
These include doctors working for the State, those in private practice and specialists. The majority of
doctors practice in the private sector. In selected communities, medical students supervised by medical
practitioners provide health services at clinics. In terms of the Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) system, all doctors, irrespective of earlier qualifications, must obtain a specified number of
points to retain their registration. The system requires that doctors attend workshops, conferences,
refresher courses, seminars, departmental meetings and journal clubs. Non-compliance with the requirements
of the system could result in a doctor being deregistered. Applications by foreign health professionals are
subject to assessment by the Examinations Committee of the Medical and Dental Professions Board. Those
admitted have to write an examination, after which they can be registered in the particular category for
which they applied and were assessed.
Between November 2006 and March 2008 the Department of Health appointed 507 foreign medical doctors to
public-health-sector posts. A further 515 were endorsed towards sitting for the medical board exams with the
HPCSA and 216 were rejected through the screening process of the departments of health and of home affairs in
compliance with the Immigration Act.
Sources and more information:
http://www.southafrica.info/about/health/health.htm
http://www.gcis.gov.za/resource_centre/sa_info/yearbook/2009/chapter12.pdf
For more information, go to http://www.doh.gov.za
|
|
