NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 2205
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 13 NOVEMBER 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 28)
Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1) Whether the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) sets
limits with regard to the number of medical student posts available
each year; if so, (a) what is the limit, (b) when was the current
limit first implemented and (c) what are the reasons for the limit;
(2) whether his department has had any discussions with the HPCSA with
regard to lifting the limit on medical student posts; if not, why not;
if so, (a) when did these discussions take place and (b) what are the
outcomes of the discussions;
(3) whether he will allow the private sector to train medical students as
doctors; if not, why not; if so, by when will they be allowed to train
medical students?
NW2881E
REPLY:
(1) The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) does not set
limits on the number of student posts at education and training
facilities, instead it recommends the number of students that can be
admitted by a facility, based on the available capacity at the time of
assessment and accreditation of that facility. This means if a
facility increases its capacity, maybe even doubling it, the HPCSA
will not dictate in anyway. It is up to the institution.
(2) The HPCSA has not set any limit with regard to the number of medical
student posts available each year, and therefore this question is
irrelevant.
(3) The decision to allow private sector to train medical students as
doctors is also a mandate for the Department of Education and there
are processes that need to be followed by individuals interested in
opening private training institutions. Interested parties should
contact the Department of Education. The Department of Health will be
involved in the discussions as and when required.
END.