NEWS: South Africa ready for private medical school

To speed up the country's delivery of qualified doctors, Western Cape Health MEC Theuns Botha says private medical schools are necessary.

South Africa is ready for its own private medical school where doctors can be trained without the help of the state, said Western Cape Health MEC Theuns Botha at the 18th Rural Health Conference in Worcester on Tuesday. “I intend addressing the issue on national level. Why can the country have privately run courses for almost all other professional fields, but not for medicine?” Botha asked.

 
Private medical schools are currently prohibited by the National Health Act – only public universities are allowed to train doctors. Medical students can therefore only do their practicals at public hospitals under the supervision of doctors employed at state hospitals and clinics.

According to the national health department South Africa’s eight medical schools have been producing an average of 1 200 doctors per year for the past decade. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has told the Mail & Guardian previously that he plans to “at least” triple this number to 3 600 doctors per year for the implementation of government’s National health Insurance Scheme.

According to the government’s White Paper on human resources, South African medical schools will have to double their output of general practitioners over the next 15 years just to maintain the current ratios to population.

READ MORE

Follow us on Facebook:
PEFM 87.6

Follow us on Twitter:
@PEFMnews

Listen to us on streaming internet radio at: Tunein and from our website at:  PEFM



International Correspondent Scott Congdon can be reached at:
Mail: scottcpefm@gmail.com
Phone: 010 500 8203 (in South Africa) (Available 3-5pm SAST weekdays)
011 27 10 500 8203 (calling from outside of South Africa) (Available 3-5pm SAST weekdays)

*Note: Views expressed in the commentaries on this website are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of PEFM 87.6or our presenters or correspondents.  Quotes are obviously the opinion of the source. A quote is just a quote and these are offered without comment. Use of a news story or commentary is not an endorsement of the source website.

© PEFM 87.6