GRADUATE PLACEMENTS
Funding stymies placement of medical interns
Econex study shows SA has fewer doctors per 100,000 people compared with other middle-income countries
Limited funding for medical intern posts has left nearly 100 medical graduates without jobs and the situation could worsen when about 1,000 graduates return from studying in Cuba. The public health system suffers from a shortage of medical staff and a study by research group Econex shows that SA has fewer doctors per 100,000 people compared with other middle-income countries. South African Medical Association vice-chairman Dr Mark Sonderup said there were graduates who had applied to be placed in 2016 who had still not been placed by April. He said while the posts were available, there were no funds made available to fund the posts. The identification and funding of posts is done by provincial health departments. Interns earn R380,000-R411,000 annually. A medical graduate from Stellenbosch, who declined to be named, said he had received a contract to start his internship at the Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein in April. But he found the province had not funded the post ...
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