Health department finally places medical graduates

The department of health on Thursday concluded the allocation of the final batch of medical graduates into positions. This to ensure provinces proceed with the appointment of eligible medical graduates in various facilities to commence with the Internship for 2021 mid-year cycle.

288 medical graduates had not been placed by the department by 1 July as required by law, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the South African Medical Association (SAMA), not only did the failure to place graduates by 1 July affect the health of the nation, but also negatively impacted the livelihoods of the affected doctors.

“Internship and community service are statutory posts required as an additional form of training by the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Because of this, it means the that the unfortunate doctors have no means of securing an income without having completed their training. They are stuck in a state of limbo,” said SAMA last month.

It called on the department and National Treasury to avail funds for the graduates.

“We would like to urge them to also consider that the number of doctors who are qualifying each year is growing and that they need to take into account when allocating funds. Failing which, this issue will spill over to the annual cycle for the placement of doctors for 2022.

“We understand and empathise with all students regarding challenges faced during their undergraduate studies. We understand that at times life happens, our mental health gets challenged, sometimes we may fall ill and oftentimes there are financial challenges that hamper our ability to complete medical school successfully.”

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After successfully placing the graduates in relevant positions, the department thanked the National Treasury and
Provincial Departments of Health for consultations which resulted in identifying sources of funding.

“Provincial Departments of Health have been notified of allocated applicants in their respective Provinces and it is expected that they commence with the contractual appointments of eligible applicants, who meets the necessary requirements in terms of the Public Service Acts and Regulation,” the department said.