We all know South African Doctors are some of the best and most respected world wide but have you ever asked yourself the following questions?...

* What do they train for?
* Where do they train?
* What do they specialize in?
* Where they go if they leave South Africa?

Unless you are a South African doctor, or personally know a South African doctor, you more than likely would not know the answers.

Thanks to Dr. Emile Malan from MediClinic www.mediclinic.co.uk  in the UK we now have the answers to all the above questions.

What they train for:

Training to become a doctor in South Africa differs from school to school. It would usually consist of five to six years of training, a period (12-24 months) of student internship after which the student will qualify and earn his degree (usually after six years). He/she will then have compulsory internship or a house doctor’s year, after which he can register at the HPCSA (Health Professionals Council of South Africa) In order to fully register with the HPCSA as an independent practitioner and work in South Africa as a doctor, the person needs to complete community service.

The level of supervision available to community service doctors and the experience they gain is variable. In teaching hospitals, first year medical officers were given very little opportunity for independent decision-making. In isolated rural hospitals community service doctors were often the only full-time medical staff.

On full registration as an independent practitioner a South African doctor is free to work in the private sector, or continue in the government sector in order to specialize.
Medical qualifications at most South African hospitals have up to recent times been regarded as excellent. This, combined with a high standard of work ethic, has given South African doctor’s a good reputation world wide.

Medical Schools in SA

South African doctors qualify at one of the following eight universities:

Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA), Faculty of Medicine
P.O. Box 210, Pretoria 0204
Tel: +27 12 529 4321, Fax: +27 12 529 5811

University of Cape Town, Faculty of Medicine
http://www.uct.ac.za
Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, Cape Province
Tel: +27 21 406 6107, Fax: +27 21 478 955

University of Natal, Faculty of Medicine
http://www.nu.ac.za
Umbilo Road, Private Bag 7, Durban, 4041, Kwazulu/Natal
Tel: +27 31 260 4232, Fax: +27 31 260 4410

University of Pretoria, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences *
http://www.up.ac.za/
P.O. Box 667, Pretoria 0001
Tel: +27 12 354 2386, Fax: +27 12 329 1351

University of Stellenbosch, Faculty of Health Sciences - School of Medicine *
http://www.sun.ac.za
P.O. Box 19063, Tygerberg 7505
Tel: +27 21 938 9111, Fax: +27 21 931 7810

University of the Orange Free State, Faculty of Medicine *
http://www.uovs.ac.za/
P.O. Box 339
Bloemfontein 9300
Tel: +27 51 401 2847, Fax: +27 51 444 3103

University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine *
http://www.wits.ac.za  
York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193
Tel: +27 11 717 2000, Fax: +27 11 643 4318

University of Transkei (UNITRA), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
http://www.utr.ac.za/
2 East London Road, Private Bag 11, Umtata 5117, Eastern Cape
Tel: +27 471 302 233, Fax: +27 471 302 235

Specialities

What they specialize in:

South Africa's medical schools have produced some of the world's top specialists. Due to the nature of South Africa’s population, they are highly regarded in the fields of surgery (does Chris Barnard ring a bell), trauma and orthopaedics, medicine (including HIV and Tuberculosis) to name a few.

Where they go?

Where they go if they leave South Africa:

South Africa’s medical universities produce 1400-1500 new doctors each year. A large proportion of these continue working in the government sector in order to specialize. A number of them go into the private health sector.

In the last decade there has been a significant outflow of trained personnel in order to work overseas. There are many reasons for this which includes a gain in life and work experience, poor rural work circumstances and better opportunities overseas. The current wave of violence and crime in South Africa has also been a factor.

The most popular destinations are: United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. South African qualified professionals are renowned across the world for their excellent work ethic and discipline.