SURPLUS OF POSTS
Aaron Motsoaledi lays to rest confusion over internships
The health minister says only ‘a few’ foreign nationals have not been placed for medical community service
Contrary to perceptions, SA has a surplus of posts for medicine graduates, but some interns have opted not to take them up, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Thursday. Motsoaledi dismissed claims that pharmacy graduates had been left without placings because his department had failed to put them in its Internship Community Service Placement Programme. He said it was only "a few" foreign nationals who had not been placed. "I can confirm that 795 pharmacists applied for community service. Of these, 716 are South Africans and have all been offered positions." The minister’s statement came after queries from various medical bodies including the Pharmaceutical Society of SA (PSSA,) which raised concerns about medicine graduates not being placed in the mandatory community service posts. Offers were made to all 1,064 community service applicants, including pharmacists and general doctors, and 1,057 were placed. Only seven offers were rejected owing to family commitments, medical con...
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