Question NW158 to the Minister of Health
13 March 2017 - NW158
Carter, Ms D to ask the Minister of Health
(1)What is his department doing to create more posts for (a) interns and (b) qualified doctors in light of the medical graduates in South Africa and those returning from studies abroad; 2) whether he considers commissioning an investigation into the entire placement process so that the flaws in the system may be corrected and the algorithm changed before the next cycle; if not, why not?
Reply:
(1) The South African government in collaboration with various medical schools and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is currently preparing for the reception of South African medical students being trained in Cuba, who are expected to start arriving in South Africa in July 2018 and subsequent years.
The Department is also working closely with the Health professions Council of South Africa’s Sub-Committee for Medical Internship who are responsible to identify and accredit additional sites and posts for doctors to perform internships.
(2) In July 2015, the National Department set in motion a process to improve the placement of community service professionals and medical interns. This included a new online application system called ICSP Online, which replaced the paper-based system in use since 1998. The system was introduced in 2016 for placement of 2017 Medical Interns and Community Service.
During the implementation of the ICSP programme various challenges were experienced with the key process activities, and the use of ICSP Online. An improvement plans has been developed to address these challenges. Copy of the improvement plan is attached for ease of reference.
END.