Question NW4199 to the Minister of Health
14 December 2023 - NW4199
Hicklin, Ms MB to ask the Minister of Health
(1)With regard to the October 2023 medical and dental board (MDB) examination, what are the reasons that the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and MDB (a) deviated from past practice of allocating three hours to the theory component of the board examination and (b) did not inform candidates of the deviation from the past practice; (2) (a) what are the reasons that the HPCSA forces candidates who wish to register as interns and candidates who wish to register as medical officers to write the same examination and (b) on what date is it envisaged that the HPCSA will rectify the situation and provide different examinations to suit the level of registration?
Reply:
According to the HPCSA:
1. (a)-(b) The Scope and Guideline document for “Board Examination for Foreign Medical Practitioners wishing to practice in South Africa and for the purpose restoration” issued by the HPCSA’s Medical and Dental Professions Board dated July 2023 provides details on the content, length, and format of the Theory Examination. It is stated in the guideline document that the theory examination time is two (2) hours, as such the candidates were duly informed about the duration of the examination. In addition, the University (UKZN) created a special website from which candidates could access information and directly engage the institution on any matter as they prepared for the exams. The time period for each examination is determined when the examination questions have been finalised so there is no deviation from a three-hour examination period.
2. (a) Foreign-qualified medical graduates need to comply with the standards determined by the MDB for the purposes of registration and clinical practice. Both medical interns and medical officers will enjoy the same scope of clinical practice therefore it is appropriate that their assessment should be the same. There is no rational basis for separate examinations for the two groups.
(b) Based on what has been provided above, there is no need for rectification of any situation.
END.