Push for more medical schools to fill health gap

South Africa has a critical shortage of doctors. The country's eight medical schools produce between 1 100 and 1 300 new doctors annually, but experts say about 3 000 new doctors are needed each year.
Sunday Times, 22 March 2015

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said last week that in addition to fees, it cost the government between R350 000 and R400 000 over six years to produce one doctor. He said one of the ways of increasing the number of doctors was by building more medical schools. Limpopo will get another medical school in addition to the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, and plans are at an advanced stage to rebuild the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine. First-year enrolment of white medical students this year at the University of KwaZulu-Natal was capped at two percent.

The university said it received more than 8 300 applications for its 250 first-year places. Its quotas for other race groups are 69 percent African, 19 percent Indian, nine percent coloured and one percent other nationalities. This year the university admitted 207 African, 11 coloured, 29 Indian and six white students, and one foreign student. University spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said the quota system applied only to its MBChB programme. He said the university's enrolment plan is revised regularly to take into account the need to produce top-quality professionals as required by the country.

First-year medical student enrolment at other medical schools this year included: University of Pretoria: 238, including 133 from previously disadvantaged groups and 105 white students. A further 62 places will be filled in mid-year from top performers enrolled for the BSc degree in biological sciences; University of the Witwatersrand: 229, including 97 African, 17 coloured, 50 Indian, 63 white and two Chinese; Stellenbosch: 235, including 91 white, 65 coloured, 27 Indian and 52 African; Walter Sisulu University: 126, including five white, two coloured, 14 Indian and 105 African; and University of Cape Town: 220, including 77 African, 49 coloured, four Chinese, 24 Indian and 66 white.