Medical students blocked at hospitals over qualifications
- Published on 27 Jul 2017
- HR Pulse News Desk
That medical students who have studied in India and China have been dealt a major blow after a moratorium was placed on them being placed at state hospitals.
The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) apparently put this moratorium in place because it believed the students were not properly qualified. When questioned, the DHET denied issuing the moratorium, saying it was a Department of Health (DoH) initiative.
But the DoH said it supported the DHET’s moratorium. After four years of studies, students return to SA, where they are placed in local hospitals to complete a four-month practical course. Some parents of SA students studying abroad said they were issued a letter by the DHET stating that returning students have insufficient practice experience so universities have to hire more staff to train them; that there was insufficient funding to support the additional staff and learning tools; and that most of the students failed the board exam set by the Health Professions Council of SA. Dr Mzukisi Grootboom, SA Medical Association (SAMA) chairperson, said this was an ongoing problem.
Source: SA Labour News
