Med school scandal has cut UKZN

IEDITOR’S VIEW NSTITUTIONS of higher learning in this country are funded through the public purse and through fees paid by students. Without these two primary sources of funding, universities would find it difficult to operate optimally.

Equally important for the survival of higher education institutions is the reputation and credibility they hold in the eyes of the general public.

It is against this background that we find the medical school scandal at the University of KwaZulu-Natal extremely disturbing.

The Mercury’s sister newspaper, The Sunday Tribune, produced an excellent piece of investigative journalism and exposed a syndicate that is allegedly selling spots to study at UKZN’s medical school.

The police investigation led to the arrest of Durban restaurateurs Varsha Bhatt, Hitesh Bhatt and co-accused Preshnie Hiraman, who were released on bail after their first court appearance this week.

The trio face allegations of selling spaces at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine and other health science places at the university for a fee of between R250 000 and R500 000.

While the accused will surely have their day in court, the UKZN management has its work cut out when it comes to restoring the battered image of the institution.

UKZN vice-chancellor Dr Albert van Jaarsveld must be congratulated for showing leadership when he called on the Hawks to investigate allegations of corruption at the medical school. However, a lot of work lies ahead in ensuring that implicated academics and administrative staff are also dealt with decisively.

Such an elaborate scheme cannot happen without the collaboration of high ranking employees.

Both Van Jaarsveld and MEC for Health Sibongiseni Dhlomo need to take the public into their confidence on the actions to be taken to rid the university of all the rotten apples.

Another question Dhlomo and Van Jaarsveld need to answer is that of the quality of medical students that have been produced at the school over the years. Can the public trust their skills and medical expertise in the wake of the scandal?

The UKZN medical school is the only institution training medical practitioners in this province, and any harm done to its internationally renowned reputation must be addressed with immediate effect. Otherwise, we risk the exodus of prospective medical students who will opt for institutions elsewhere in the country or abroad.

The real victims in this sorry saga are the truly deserving students who were denied access by greedy individuals.