The Sorry State of Medical Training in South Africa

Mike Smiths Political Commentary
August 23, 2014

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The sorry state of Limpopo university, Medunsa campus.

In my Pandora series on Apartheid I mention how the Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa) during the Apartheid years was graduating approximately 200 black doctors per year. Doctors who were trained to world standards. Medunsa also pumped out hundreds of top class pharmacists, paramedics and nurses.

This past week we saw Medunsa closing its doors due to students going on the rampage and demanding certain lecturers to be fired, because they dared to fail students. They were also unhappy about the University being renamed after ANC struggle hero Sefako Makgatho. The campus was dissolved and the academic programme was suspended indefinitely. Later the university reopened.

Medunsa reopens campus ending strike

It was not the first time. In 1999 the university also closed down due to students’ fees being R56 million in arrears and students fraudulently claiming they could not afford the fees.

Medunsa closed down in 1999

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South African instructions for taking medicine.

Oh how the standard of education has dropped in SA. Students don’t want to pay fees, lecturers not allowed to fail students…Why bother reopening the University?

Rather close it and let the people who graduated there during Apartheid remember it for the fine institution it once was. Let them retain a bit of respect for their qualifications.

I say if you are going to keep it open, then by all means change the name. Open a drive-through like they have at McDonalds. Register at the front gate via microphone, tell them what qualification you desire, then drive through and collect your doctorate at the exit gate.

Or let us have a scratch-and-win. You hit the jackpot you get a doctorate, how’s that?

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Picture from when the University was in better condition. Students had been on strike for about two weeks, demanding the removal of certain lecturers alleged to be failing students.