Becoming a Medical Doctor

Requirements to Become a Medical Doctor in South Africa

The first step to becoming a medical doctor in South Africa is to satisfy the entry requirements of one’s preferred school of medicine. Prior to 2008, candidates needed to hold a matriculation exemption certificate with passes in Maths and Physical Science. Since then, this has changed to National Senior Certificate passes in at least four of seven school subjects with a minimum level of four.

Places are always limited and final acceptance is contingent upon completing a satisfactory interview with members of the appropriate admissions board. From that point on, the successful candidate must complete five to six years of study without failure, depending on the university chosen. This is followed by an internship period of 24 months, during which he or she must rotate between a number of disciplines and complete a further year of paid community service.

Once qualified, if a medical doctor chooses to specialise in any given discipline, further intensive studies within the chosen filed and a board examination will be required to secure the additional specialist qualification. This, however, may change his or her status and lead to a consultant’s post, but it will entail no change to the subject’s title.  

There can often be some confusion regarding the use of a title that many people mistakenly believe to be the sole right of a physician. While it is, of course, true that surgeons often prefer to distinguish their skills from those of the physician by assuming the title of mister, any individual who has been awarded a doctorate degree, whether it may be in philosophy, divinity, or literature gains an automatic right to assume the title of doctor, even though he or she lacks a medical qualification.

Upon completion of the mandatory period of community service, the newly qualified healthcare professional is free to apply for a post in the public or private sector, or to establish his or her own private practice. Generally, the latter is a step only taken subsequent to a period of residency within a state or private hospital or clinic. The state service, however, has deteriorated badly in the face of burgeoning patient numbers and serious funding shortfalls which, in turn, have served to increase pressure on the private sector.                                                             

Intercare is a group of facilities dedicated to simplifying and optimising public access to the services of medical doctors and other healthcare professionals. We consist of primary-care and wellness centres, plus day surgeries for ambulatory patients and units dedicated to sub-acute care and rehabilitation with the primary objective of focusing on the actual needs of the patient, as opposed to merely extending the levels of care typical of traditional establishments.