Jack Bloom concerned about foreign doctors’ poor language skills
DA HEALTH spokesperson Jack Bloom said he knows of "four Cuban doctors at the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto who can barely speak English‚ write poor scripts and are accused by other staff of endangering patients".The member of the provincial legislature said he was "concerned by the poor expertise and language skills of some of these foreign doctors" after it emerged that their numbers had swelled by almost 500 since 2015.He said‚ according to a reply from Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu‚ out of the 6,270 doctors employed in Gauteng public hospitals and clinics‚ the number of foreign doctors rose from 261 in 2015 (4%) to 750 in 2016 (12%)."Mahlangu says that all their qualifications are checked through the South African Qualifications Authority‚ they have to register with the Health Professions Council of SA‚ and the validity of their work permits and immigration/refugee status is done quarterly‚" said Bloom.Despite this‚ he insisted: "There should also be better monitoring o...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.