Question NW3803 to the Minister of Health
24 November 2023 - NW3803
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Health
Whether his department has any actionable mechanisms in place to ensure fair and transparent (a) application and (b) admission processes of the Nelson Mandela/Fidel Castro Medical Collaboration Programme; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what total number of students in each province have benefited from the specified programme from 2016 up to the latest specified date for which information is available?
Reply:
The National Department of Health has the National Recruitment Plan, which is the tool used by all the Provincial Departments of Health to guide and facilitate the recruitment and selection processes of the new students for the Nelson Mandela/Fidel Castro Medical Training Programme to ensure, uniformity, transparency, and fairness.
a) An advert for the recruitment to the programme is published and managed by the Provincial Departments of Health. The Provincial Departments of Health use various methods of advertisements that include print media, social network platforms, websites. Adverts are also placed in radio adverts, schools, and hospitals. The minimum duration for the advertisement, is one month.
b) The admission process is informed by the selection criteria that are outlined in the National Recruitment Plan. Potential new recruits must have passed Grade 12 (matric) with full University exemption. They must have passed four key subjects which are, English, Mathematics, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences with the minimum of achievement level of 50% in each. The Provincial Departments of Health also ensure that all the districts are represented when selecting potential recruits.
Table 1 below indicates the number of students recruited for the programme by year and province.
Table 1:
|
Provinces |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
Total |
|
Eastern Cape |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Free State |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Gauteng |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
10 |
|
KwaZulu Natal |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Limpopo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Mpumalanga |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
20 |
|
Northern Cape |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
10 |
|
Northwest |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
20 |
44 |
|
Total |
11 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
29 |
40 |
84 |
END.