New human resources plan foresees fewer foreign doctors

Abstract

A new human resources plan by the Department of Health could more than halve the number of foreign medical doctors in South Africa with serious consequences for the public health service, warns Mignonne Breier. hospitals and clinics in rural areas, already crippled by staff shortages, would be hardest hit. At the same time, the plan presents unrealistic expectations of doubling the production of local doctors in only eight years.