Motsoaledi addressed the media this morning in response to lists he says were released by the Junior Doctors Association of South Africa and the National Healthcare Professions Association, which list 135 unplaced interns, and 125 newly qualified, unemployed doctors respectively.

Motsoaledi says these lists are inaccurate, since 1498 interns out of 1499 applicants have been offered positions across the country, with 22 declining the positions due to personal reasons. Only one applicant remains unplaced due to a matter that has been referred to the Health Professions Council of South Africa. Similarly, all 1064 Community Service doctors have been offered positions, with seven declining the offers.

Motsoaledi cites the requirements that internships be completed at specifically designated hospitals, while most applicants hope to be placed at facilities in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria as the main reason for applicants declining placements. Similarly, community service positions often have to be taken up at rural facilities, which leads to some rejecting the offers.

Motsoaledi says 45 internship positions are still available, which include some in Bloemfontein and in Mthatha. These may be allocated to foreign graduates who had to wait for all South Africans to be placed before they came under consideration.

Speech summarised