UKZN students protest against decentralised hospital training
Medical students at UKZN have again raised concern over the Decentralised Clinical Training Platform - with some taking part in a protest at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine in Durban today.
The programme places medical students to train in hospitals outside of the city - especially in rural areas where the need for health professionals is greater.
Speaking to Newswatch, this student says medical students returning from Cuba are also considered for the internship programme - limiting opportunities even further.
"The programme itself doesn't have the capacity to take this existing number of students. Per block, they can only take 12 students. We are basically against the decentralisation programme and there is no student buy-in."
Armed security from the Mi7 unit and police services look on as students in Durban protest against the oppression #UKZN pic.twitter.com/rslS87XSff
— Jarryd Subroyen (@Jazz_Subs031) July 28, 2017
He says for some of the students already in training - qualified doctors at their hospital hardly find time for teaching.
"The doctors that are at the decentralised sites are not compelled to do any form of clinical teaching because they are employed by the Department of Health and they are not employed by the university. The problem is that any point in time, they can say their priority is with patients and there will be no clinical teaching," he says.
The university's management says it will issue a statement later.
Students from the #UKZN Nelson Mandela School of Medicine protest amidst armed security and police in Durban #KZN pic.twitter.com/YuKpEQ5UPx
— Jarryd Subroyen (@Jazz_Subs031) July 28, 2017