Question NW136 to the Minister of Health
16 September 2019 - NW136
Gwarube, Ms S to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What (a) is the current total number of doctors registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) in each province in the (i) public and (ii) private health sectors and (b) number of the specified doctors are currently practicing in each case; (2) what (a) is the current total number of nurses registered with the HPCSA in each province in the (i) public and (ii) private health sectors and (b) number of the specified nurses are currently practicing in each case; (3) what number of (a) medical and (b) nursing students (i) have been and (ii) have not been placed for community service in each province since 1 January 2019?
Reply:
1. (a) According to the information provided by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the total number of doctors registered is as follows:
|
Province |
Public |
Private |
(b) number of the specified doctors are currently practicing in each case |
|
Eastern Cape |
376 |
2761 |
HPCSA does not keep a record of whether a doctor is practising in the public or private sector, nor of the province in which they are working. |
|
Free State |
151 |
1713 |
|
|
Gauteng |
1237 |
14304 |
|
|
Kwa-Zulu Natal |
781 |
6944 |
|
|
Limpopo |
229 |
1521 |
|
|
Mpumalanga |
249 |
1449 |
|
|
North West |
249 |
1172 |
|
|
Northern Cape |
121 |
540 |
|
|
Western |
443 |
9115 |
|
|
Foreign |
47 |
504 |
|
|
No Province shown |
120 |
649 |
|
|
Total |
4003 |
40672 |
2. (a) Nurses are not required to register with the HPCSA to practice as nurses in South Africa. However, according to South African Nursing Council (SANC), a total number of nurses registered in each province is as follows:
|
2(a) Province |
(i) Public and (ii) Private |
(b) number of the specified nurses are currently practicing in each case |
|
Eastern Cape |
29533 |
SANC does not register nurses by employment authority (i.e. public or private) but registration is done in line with the categories of nurses as provided for in the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act. No. 33 of 2005) |
|
Free State |
13398 |
|
|
Gauteng |
74044 |
|
|
Kwa-Zulu Natal |
71030 |
|
|
Limpopo |
28839 |
|
|
Mpumalanga |
14878 |
|
|
North West |
18002 |
|
|
Northern Cape |
3747 |
|
|
Western Cape |
32233 |
|
|
Total |
285704 |
3. The following South African (a) Medical and (b) (i) Nursing Students who met requirements of being registered with their relevant Professions Council, were allocated since 1 January 2019:
|
Province |
Medical Practitioner |
Professional Nurse |
|
EC |
125 |
591 |
|
FS |
67 |
168 |
|
GP |
260 |
672 |
|
KZ |
222 |
747 |
|
LP |
138 |
331 |
|
MP |
170 |
313 |
|
NC |
82 |
50 |
|
NW |
144 |
485 |
|
WC |
205 |
302 |
|
SAMHS |
47 |
14 |
|
Grand Total |
1460 |
3673 |
No South African (a) Medical and (b) (ii) Nursing Students who met requirements of being registered with their relevant Professional Council have not been allocated for community service in each province since 1 January 2019 (i.e. all medical and nursing students who registration requirements were placed).
END.