Durban — The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has denied allegations that it deliberately frustrated and placed unnecessary impediments in the path of overseas-trained South African doctors attempting integration with the local medical fraternity.
The allegations were raised by the South African Internationally Trained Health Professionals Association (Saithpa), on behalf of the affected doctors. The Saithpa, on various occasions, has secured High Court orders in its favour, over some of the HPCSA’s methods of operations.
The NPO’s latest allegations, which centre on the HPCSA’s administration of its board exams and doctors’ rights to access their exam scripts, was reported on by this newspaper last week.
HPCSA communications manager Priscilla Sekhonyana said they had moved their board exams from the Sefako Makgatho University to the University of KwaZulu-Natal because the former institution declined another contract extension.
“Only UKZN expressed interest in taking over the responsibility,” she said.
Sekhonyana said the HPCSA was not able to explain why pass rates had dropped significantly after the exams were moved to UKZN.
“UKZN is a reputable academic institution in South Africa.”
She said they had never disallowed either the viewing or remarking of exam scripts, but this had to be done in accordance with the rules and availability of time by the examining institution.
Sekhonyana denied that the HPCSA was in the business of fleecing money from applicants and practitioners.
“Every effort is made to minimise costs to practitioners, who are the only source of income for the regulatory body. Fees are based on a full cost recovery basis, including payments to universities managing the exams for the HPCSA, and our employees who manage the exams.”
Asked about the Saithpa’s claim that practitioners faced unnecessary delays and hurdles regarding the vetting of qualifications of doctors who attempt integration locally, even endorsement from the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), Sekhonyana said: “South Africa is not beholden to any standards of curricula or training other than those determined within the country through its established institutions and mechanisms, including those from the regulatory bodies including the HPCSA, the National Qualifications Framework as managed by the South African Qualifications Authority and the Commission for Higher Education.”
She said foreign-qualified applicants were not entitled for automatic registration with the HPCSA and the training they receive abroad needs to be assessed for equivalence. The ECFMG only helped with the authentication of an institution.
“It does not provide confirmation on the curriculum content. Therefore, the board takes additional steps to ascertain that applicants are competent.”
Sekhonyana said they acknowledged that the HPCSA systems and processes sometimes posed challenges, but no malice was intended.
Most of the delays with processing applications were due to applicants’ failure to provide the required information to make a determination on curricula equivalence speedily.
“The HPCSA was never deliberately in contempt of High Court judgments. Some of the judgments scuttled the HPCSA attempts made in good faith to assist applicants.
“The HPCSA is currently working on having the judgments reviewed, with the possibility of them being set aside,” she added.
Sunday Tribune