Over 200 medical interns still unplaced

THE national Department of Health said it was working closely with provinces to place medical interns at health facilities, amid concerns that over 200 of them have still not been placed.

The SA Medical Association (Sama) said it was a recurring problem and the association was extremely concerned as the latest figures indicated that 284 medical interns had not yet been placed for the July intake.

“The SA Medical Association is concerned about the number of interns still not placed and is not satisfied with the recurrent nature of this matter. The association supports the efforts of the national Department of Health to allocate interns who have not yet been placed due to a shortfall of posts; however, more should be done to speed up the process, especially during a global pandemic where there is a shortage of doctors,” Sama said in a statement.

The department, meanwhile, said it was working to resolve the issue.

“We are working closely with provinces to ensure that medical graduates are placed to undergo internship and community service under the supervision of qualified doctors and other health specialists.

“We have two intakes per year – January and July. Thus, the next placement cycle is July 1 and the allocation process is under way between the national and provincial health departments.

“So far we have 118 funded and accredited posts and have since identified a further 213 accredited but unfunded posts, and we are working with national Treasury and provinces like Gauteng (that are) experiencing a high burden of Covid-19 and other health challenges, to appoint more medical interns,” the department said.

Sama chairperson Dr Angelique Coetzee said the department had committed itself to resolving the crisis by the end of the week, but a lasting solution to the problem needed to be found going forward.

“We have problems with placements every year and it's unfair on the interns who have worked so hard to reach that point,” she said. “Our engagements with the (national department) will now, and in future, focus heavily on resolving these issues because we cannot afford to have a situation where interns who are ready to work in resource-strapped institutions are sitting at home, without being placed.”

Chairperson of Sama's Interim Trade Union Committee and board member Dr Akhtar Hussain said the department knew South African medical school graduates would be qualifying and must be placed. “The internship is under supervision and it is mandatory training by law for them to qualify. The students need to know where they going at least three months in advance so they can make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime they are placing Cuban doctors,” Hussain said.

Sama said it was advocating for four intakes a year instead of two.