South Africa’s Medical School Shortage Pushes Students to Study Overseas
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JEREMY MAGGS: South Africa’s medical school capacity has become so restrictive that even the highest-achieving matriculants are being forced to look for opportunities overseas.
Reports show that acceptance rates at leading local medical schools can plummet to as low as 5%, leading students to explore English-medium medical degrees offered by universities in Cyprus and Germany as viable alternatives.
This scenario raises serious concerns about accessibility, planning, inequality, brain drain, and, perhaps most importantly, whether the nation is failing its future healthcare professionals right from the start.
This is a pressing issue, and I’m eager to delve into it with Brad Latilla-Campbell, the country manager at Crimson Education, an admissions consultancy. Welcome, Brad.
Let’s start with a simple question: in your opinion, is South Africa turning away the future doctors it desperately needs?
BRAD LATILLA-CAMPBELL: Thanks, Jeremy. Honestly, I’m not entirely convinced that we are turning away the future doctors we urgently require. However, as you noted, the competitive nature of available spots in medical programs highlights how coveted they are within our universities.
In many other fields, achieving the required points for admission often guarantees entry into the program.
However, medicine has a different dynamic. Simply meeting the points threshold doesn’t ensure admission, as you’ve pointed out; they can only accept roughly the top 5% or 6% of applicants.
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This implies a couple of things. Firstly, it self-selects for exceptionally strong academic candidates—high achievers. Yet, it also indicates a lack of space for those who don’t achieve averages of 85%, 90%, or attain seven or eight distinctions.
As a result, many students passionate about medicine and becoming healthcare professionals find themselves without entry opportunities.
This bottleneck means that enthusiastic candidates are missing out based solely on high school grades, which aren’t necessarily the best predictors of success in this field.
JEREMY MAGGS: It seems that studying medicine abroad used to be seen as a backup plan. Do you think this perspective has changed completely based on what you’ve observed?
BRAD LATILLA-CAMPBELL: In some respects, yes, and in others, not really. There are still excellent medical programs available locally.
New institutions continue to emerge each year, upholding their prestigious standing.
A significant number of students aspire to enroll as these schools produce outstanding doctors and healthcare professionals.
However, the reality is that we now have a surplus of students qualified to undertake a medical degree, prompting many to seek opportunities overseas, particularly in Europe, where they can later return to practice here, thus providing a feasible option for those unable to secure local admission.
JEREMY MAGGS: But part of the worry is that many of these students might choose not to come back.
BRAD LATILLA-CAMPBELL: Indeed, that’s a persistent issue with studying abroad. However, we’ve observed a strong desire among those in the medical field to return, driven by a commitment to serve their communities.
Some may take a year or two before coming back, which may involve some time and administrative effort for recertification.
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JEREMY MAGGS: Ultimately, isn’t affordability a significant concern? It seems like this pathway is mainly accessible to families with financial means, which risks creating a two-tier system where wealthier students study abroad while others are left out.
BRAD LATILLA-CAMPBELL: Yes, and this is indeed a broader issue we observe among students pursuing studies overseas. Nevertheless, I think our robust local programs help to alleviate this concern.
They provide an alternative route for those who may not gain admission locally, although often at a financial cost.
Nevertheless, many overseas programs offer scholarships and bursaries that students can explore.
JEREMY MAGGS: Do you believe this scenario reflects competitiveness and academic merit, or is it symptomatic of a system with inadequate places and institutions?
BRAD LATILLA-CAMPBELL: It likely reflects a blend of both. According to various reports and media, competitive programs can be advantageous for any industry, particularly in South Africa, where we seek to attract top talent for challenging roles.
Reflecting on my school days, subjects like actuarial science were highly esteemed for their difficulty, yet positions are plentiful for qualifying students because it isn’t as pursued as medicine, which many see as a prestigious career.
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Read: Courts rule in favor of South African doctors trained abroad
The reality is that there simply aren’t enough spots available, akin to prestigious universities like Harvard or Oxford, highlighting the need for limitations on available slots.
Encouraging competition helps students aspire for top grades and qualifications, maintaining high standards.
JEREMY MAGGS: You alluded to this earlier, but for South African regulators and employers, do medical degrees from countries like Cyprus and Germany carry full credibility?
BRAD LATILLA-CAMPBELL: I believe they do. I have anecdotal evidence of students studying there and returning to practice in South Africa.
These programs are recognized, and I think it’s primarily our local institutions, particularly in terms of teaching capacity, that limit our own programs, while there is room for returning doctors.
While concerns related to brain drain do exist, it feels more detrimental when local students trained here leave, rather than those who go abroad for their studies, as we have invested in educating someone who may not give back to South Africa.
This is the sort of trade-off that occurs, reaffirming that degrees obtained abroad still hold respect and are viewed positively.
JEREMY MAGGS: Thank you very much. That was Brad Latilla-Campbell from Crimson Education.