16 April 2004

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has launched a programme to address the shortage of doctors in the country, particularly in rural areas, by training a new category of community medical assistants.

Speaking at the launch of the programme last month, the minister said that although the country was producing a sufficient number of doctors through its eight medical schools, these doctors were unevenly distributed due to their movement from rural to urban areas, from the public to the private sector, as well as to overseas countries.

"The reality is such that there are no obvious means of enforcing the equitable distribution of health professionals based on need", Tshabalala-Msimang said. "We therefore have to be creative in addressing the challenges facing South Africa's health care needs."

In terms of the programme, medical assistants will be trained for three years followed by an internship in a district hospital.

Students will be selected from local communities to be serviced, with a minimum requirement of a matric qualification with university exemption.

For the medical assistants to be able to practise, they must pass the national certificate examination set by the National Board of Medical Examiners. They will receive a practising licence from the medical board, and a medical doctor will be appointed to supervise them.

"Medical assistants will be placed in district hospitals and will be part of a team in different units such as emergency, maternity, out-patient or surgical", the minister said. "In operating theatres, for instance, the assistants will work with doctors on basic procedures like incisions, drainage and evacuations."

More than a hundred students are expected to be enrolled when the programme is piloted next year, with the number of students expected to increase over the next five years.

Also present at the launch were delegates from the US and Tanzania, countries that have implemented similar programmes since the 1960s.

Source: BuaNews

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