Budget constraints stymie foreigners’ hopes of health careers in SA
Deep budget cuts also leave hundreds of SA doctors unable to secure community service posts
Hundreds of foreign nationals who graduate with healthcare degrees cannot work in SA despite the country’s desperate shortage of personnel, according to health minister Joe Phaala.
Doctors and pharmacists are required by law to complete internships after they graduate, and all healthcare professionals must complete a year of community service before they can register with their statutory councils to start working in SA. However, hardly any community service posts have been allocated to foreign nationals who graduated with health science degrees since 2019, according to figures provided by Phaala in a written response to DA MP Madeleine Hicklin...
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