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SA faces doctor shortage
17/05/2007 20:38 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The increased internship for doctors from one to two years in 2008 may cause a shortage of doctors, said the health department on Thursday.
Spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said the department was making efforts to address the challenge.
"There is ongoing collaboration between relevant stakeholders to ensure that the situation is addressed," he said.
Provincial departments were assessing their service delivery needs to ensure that services were not disrupted.
He said there also were efforts to recruit doctors from abroad.
"One of such initiatives is the recruitment of doctors from Tunisia," Mngadi said.
"A high level delegation from the Tunisian Agency for Technical Co-operation is in the country and will be visiting KwaZulu-Natal hospitals on Friday as part of their programme to inspect public health facilities, with the aim of helping to recruit Tunisian doctors to work in the under-served areas of South Africa."
The delegation, which already had visited hospitals in Gauteng, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, would visit Prince Mshiyeni and Chief Albert Luthuli hospitals on Friday.
The period of internship was increased by the Health Professions Council of SA to ensure that doctors gained sufficient practical experience.
Mngadi said this decision was endorsed by the department.
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