The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) empathises with foreign-qualified medical doctors whose registration with it has been delayed due to administrative challenges.
The HPCSA explained on Thursday that training received by all foreign-qualified medical practitioners is subject to review to measure compliance and equivalence to prescribed minimum South African requirements.
“This is to establish whether the qualifications meet the evaluation criteria and allow applicants to practice their profession in the country,” the HPCSA said.
The council also stated that the review process considers various elements.
This includes the curriculum content, duration of the studies and the recognition of the institution from which training was received by the local regulator and responsible ministry in that particular country.
“Should the review process find that the training was neither equivalent nor satisfactory, registration with the council is denied since a foreign qualification on its own does not guarantee automatic registration.”
The council said an external service provider manages the Medical Board Examinations on behalf of the Medical and Dental Board.
“Previously, this was conducted by Sefako Makgatho University whose contract subsequently expired following several extensions.
“The HPCSA had already started a supply chain management process to seek a replacement service provider, with initial bids advertised in March 2022.
“Unfortunately, only one bidder responded but did not meet the supply chain requirements,” added the council.
It noted that another closed bid was advertised to all the universities in July 2022, and the same institution was the sole respondent and once again did not meet the requirements.
“As a result, a deviation from normal procurement processes was sought to enable negotiations with the same institution to provide guidance and ensure that requirements are met. This process took longer than anticipated but is now nearing completion.”
To address the registration backlog of foreign-qualified medical doctors, the HPCSA said it is preparing to conduct theory and practical board examinations before the end of 2023.
It has committed to exploring a more efficient and effective approach to medical examinations after consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
These include universities with medical school facilities, which will be submitted to the Medical and Dental Board and council for final ratification.
“I would like to apologise to affected practitioners and assure them that we are working tirelessly to ensure a speedy and permanent solution for all,” said HPCSA registrar Dr Magome Masike.
On Wednesday, a group of unemployed doctors, who studied overseas, marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to raise their plight about their inability to write board exams.
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