Question NW3288 to the Minister of Health
14 October 2022 - NW3288
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Health
Considering that foreign-qualified doctors who have applied and paid for a remark of their examination results have not been attended to, forcing such candidates to retake costly examinations due to a lack of response from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), what monitoring and/or evaluation programmes are in place to provide oversight and assure accountability in the HPCSA in accordance with the Gauteng High Court Order on foreign-qualified doctors?
Reply:
Governance oversight over statutory health professional councils is conducted through monitoring compliance with legislative requirements based on council’s enabling legislation and other applicable legislative prescripts and/or policies.
However, on further inquiry regarding the matter raised, the Department was informed that foreign qualified doctors who require a remark on their examination results engage the institution (currently, Sefako Makgatho University - SMU) that handles board examinations on behalf of the HPCSA directly. The HPCSA is not aware of candidates who may have paid for a remark, but subsequently denied same. Specific details can be provided if there have been such occurrences so that the HPCSA may take the matter up with SMU.
Further to the above, the HPCSA has advised that all court orders relating to foreign qualified applicants have been adhered to, in particular, the discontinuation of the “Pathway” that required foreign qualified applicants to go through an additional 12-month period for clinical exposure before they could be registered as interns.
END.