Doctors trained overseas win battle to write SA exams

A group of 77 South African medical graduates who acquired their medical qualification abroad can now write their medical board examinations, after waiting for months for the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to make up its mind.

According to Legal Resources Centre’s (LRC) attorney Sharita Samuel, who represented the graduates, the HPCSA capitulated on the eve of launching the legal proceedings, following months of extensive talks.

“Our clients complained of prejudice in that they were forced to wait months – and in some cases years – before they were permitted to write the board examination,” said Samuel.

The reason for the delay was that the HPCSA had imposed a limit of 120 graduates permitted to write the examination at any one of its two scheduled sittings each year.

“It was not clear, but the limit appeared to relate to the capacity constraints of the venue for the board examinations,” Samuel said.

“The LRC’s view was that the limit on the number of graduates was arbitrary and inconsistent with the Health Professions Act, as well as the lack of qualified medical professionals in SA’s stressed public health service.”

To practise as a medical professional, it is a prerequisite to pass the SA board examination, convened by the HPCSA.

Samuel said the graduates would write the examinations at the next sitting, scheduled for October or November.

One of the graduates, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he waited two years to write the exam and it was a great relief for him and his family to finally get the news after months of stressing and worrying about his future.

“I was devastated and shocked about the HPCSA ruling. How could they treat us like this? We made sacrifices.

“People think studying overseas is fun, but there are many challenges. I only went home once a year. It also costs parents, who used loans for their kids to study overseas,” said the young doctor.

The only two possibilities for internships was Australia and the United States – both very expensive due to fees and travel costs, he said.

“But regardless of the costs of the internship, you are not assured a position as both countries cater for their citizens first. “The only way was through South Africa.”

Samuel said the HPCSA confirmed an extra sitting of the examination to ensure all compliant graduates could write and had notified each graduate of the dates.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.