The department of higher education and training (DHET) has refuted suggestions that the establishment of a second medical school in the province would result in a reduced focus on Walter Sisulu University (WSU) medical school.
Earlier this week Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) announced that government had given its formal approval for the establishment of a medical school at the university.
The fully-fledged medical school which has been in the pipeline for years will be the 10th medical school in the country and the second in the province. Currently the only medical school in the region is at WSU’s Mthatha campus.
The department’s spokesman Khaye Nkwanyana said there was “confusion on emails circulating in Eastern Cape institutions about wrong intentions by us in establishing another medical school”.
In a statement Nkwanyana said the claims were “not only false but malicious and aimed at causing unnecessary confusion”.
“The Minister of DHET Dr Blade Nzimande wishes to refute any suggestion that this process will in any manner, way or form, result in a reduced focus on medical education at any existing medical school, and specifically at the medical school located at Walter Sisulu University.
“Any claims to that effect are not only false but malicious and aimed at causing unnecessary confusion,” read the statement.
Nkwanyana said DHET supported, and would continue to support WSU in developing and improving its academic programmes in human health sciences.
“Given the need for the development of new medical doctors to support the national health system, the DHET is committed to support all medical schools in the country to jointly ensure that we increase the production of high quality doctors, and other health professionals, required by our country’s health needs,” said Nkwanyana.
According to a statement issued on NMMU’s website, the country currently trains 1200 to 1300 medical doctors a year and needs to at least double those numbers. The Eastern Cape is faced with huge healthcare and socioeconomic challenges with only one medical school.
The statement further stated that in an early indication of its support DHET in 2014 provided R72.3-million over three years to NMMU to set up, among other things, new pre-medical programmes to allow for multi-entry-options towards the MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine) degree.
NMMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Derrick Swartz said the decision came after years of campaigning by the university for the creation of a second medical school in the province.
Swartz said the university received the news on July 6, when Nzimande requested DHET and NMMU to proceed with creating the new medical school by 2020 and to expand its existing portfolio of health sciences programmes. — arethal@dispatch.co.za