Doctors training as specialists are leaving state hospitals after Walter Sisulu University failed to get their Master of Medicine degree accredited in time.
Doctors who were training to become specialist physicians, anaesthetists, ear nose and throat (ENT) specialists and ophthalmologists are abandoning state hospitals in the Eastern Cape after Walter Sisulu University failed to get their Master of Medicine (MMed) degree accredited in time.
Caroline Corbett from the South African Health Professionals Collaboration, representing nine national associations and representative bodies, said that in March 2022 it was announced that several speciality disciplines were not accredited for the MMed degree at the Walter Sisulu University, which has affected registrars (doctors in training).
"Because of the negative press coverage, somehow obstetrics was suddenly accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Since then, anaesthetics, internal medicine, ophthalmology and ENT have been waiting for the CHE to sit and re-accredit them.
"Unfortunately, the CHE has postponed the meeting many times. In September they ran out of time and could not address the issue. They said early November. This has not happened yet," said Corbett.
"Essentially, registrars have been appointed but have not been able to register with the university. Should the university close now in December and accreditation has not taken place, our registrars will have lost a year and even two years of training time....
