Health Department concludes placement of medical interns

The Department of Health announced on Tuesday that it has completed the process of allocating all eligible medical interns and community service applicants to Internship and Community Service Programme (ICSP).

The programme will run in the next annual intake scheduled to commence in January 2023.

According to the department’s statement, it placed all 9 647 eligible South African citizens and permanent residents who applied. Of these, 2 402 will occupy medical internship opportunities, while 7 245 were successfully allocated for community service to enhance the public health sector as part of the last phase of their academic programme.

“Almost 96.75% of the total applicants were allocated in their first five priority choices and only 3.25% were allocated outside their preferred five priority options,” the department said.

Meanwhile, the department has allocated 73.96% of applicants to health facilities based in rural and semi-rural areas, while the remaining 26.04% will work in urban areas. This is part of government efforts to prioritise rural and underserved areas in the country.

The ICSP system, according to the department, has a functionality that allows applicants to swap or exchange their allocated posts.

In addition, the department said the online applications were processed between 14 and 28 October 2022, as per the Internship and Community Service Placement guidelines, Public Service Regulations of 2016, the Public Service Act, and the Immigration Act of 2002.

“The first priority was given to South African citizens who studied in local and foreign institutions of higher learning, who met the minimum requirements, followed by permanent residents and lastly foreign nationals, depending on the availability of resources and funded posts.”

The department said the final results of allocation will be signed-off and sent to the Provincial Departments of Health, South African Military Health Services and Department of Correctional Services for further processing and finalisation, which entails issuing appointment letters to successful applicants.