Give medical students abroad a window period

A MEDICAL student related to a friend contacted me in distress from China. She is due to complete her degree this year, is expected to return home soon and continue with her training at a rural hospital in northern Kwazulunatal.

Her anguish was evident in her Whatsapp messages to me, given the time zones and the fact that her student life abroad has not been smooth sailing or anything extraordinary.

A top student in matric, the extra cost, immense sacrifice and effort – her parents and sibling tell a tale of her dedication and love for the career she has chosen and strong will to serve in a country that faces a looming health-care crisis with a shortage of doctors, from juniors to consultants and professors in training hospitals.

Many studying MBBS abroad in China, Romania and Mauritius were panic-stricken when the board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) didn’t want to allow them to write their medical board exams.

“They say they want medical officers who have already served internship and we cannot complete an internship in China. It’s extremely difficult,” she said.

The rule has been in place since 2009 but overnight, as of February 2, it was determined this rule should apply. There was no announcement and only students who were about to write board exams were informed.

Some of these students personally delivered their letters to the HPCSA in Pretoria and were checked.

According to the student, people are unaware that the requirement of this internship has been in place since 2009, but the HPCSA hadn’t been strict in following it and now suddenly intended to implement it.

These regulations aren’t decided overnight, so one cannot force them to change rules. However they should allow such students a window period before implementing it.

Questions remain and with parents here and their children abroad, what are the options and why do we reject the effort of those who have travelled far and wide to make a difference in the lives of their countrymen?

Give them a chance. Allow them to come back home to serve and live.

SHAMEEMA OMAR Durban North