Pretoria – More than 2 000 medical interns have been placed at various facilities across the country, the National Department of Health announced on Friday.
Department of Health Spokesperson Foster Mohale said that as of 2 January 2024 as many as 2 101 eligible community service personnel and 2 210 medical interns had been placed at various facilities across the country.
He said the department has an obligation to place all eligible applicants who have met requirements in terms of the regulations and community service policy to perform statutory responsibility as medical interns and community service personnel.
However, Mohale said 220 applicants for community service doctors were not eligible to commence duty in January 2024 due to starting their internship late.
“As a result, they will only be allocated posts later in the year,” said Mohale.
He said 53 eligible community service doctors did not commence their duties because they rejected posts for several reasons including geographic location and they have since lodged appeals.
“The department is currently attending to all appeals, and the outcomes will be communicated to each appellant in due course,” said Mohale.
“The impact of service delivery on the vacated post will be considered as a determining factor during the appeals review process.”
However, Mohale said the department also acknowledged that a percentage of certain categories of health professions including environmental health practitioners, radiotherapists, and physiotherapists could not be placed for community service due to a shortage of funded posts in the provinces.
“We are working with provincial departments of health to unlock funding to reach 100 percent allocation for eligible applicants that remain unallocated,” Mohale said.
“The issue of environmental health practitioners is receiving special attention because it involves a number of stakeholders including local government and the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, to ensure no one is left behind especially because of their important role in enforcing compliance with food safety laws and regulations.”
Mohale said the department was in constant communication with all affected applicants, including the 27 community service doctors who were initially allocated to Northern Cape, but later re-allocated to alternative choices.
He said the department has been made aware of several unemployed, post-community service doctors.
“In this regard, we are communicating with organisations representing doctors as well as with those doctors who contacted us directly,” said Mohale.
“The department is working with the provinces to address this problem.”
