Black doctors allege exit exams discrimination
Black doctors have lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) against the body tasked with examining them – the Colleges of Medicine of SA (CMSA).
Among the allegations are claims of discrimination against black candidates who write exit exams offered by the CMSA, according to a City Press report.
But the CMSA has described the allegations as ‘defamatory, misleading, untrue and negligent’.
The doctors are organised under the banner of Maatla, a group formed by postgraduate medical students who are frustrated by the alleged unjustified failures at the hands of the CMSA.
The doctors are also seeking relief from the commission on accreditation certificates issued by the CMSA that allow them to register with the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) as specialists.
The CMSA has a contract with the HPCSA to administer exit exams for medical practitioners who want to be specialists.
A successful completion of university administered research and the CMSA exams are required for a specialist to register and practise in the country.
Buang Jones, head of the HRC in Gauteng, said he would conduct ‘a full and meticulous’ assessment of the complaint. He said the commission had requested further information from the complainants.
The allegations were all old – some dating back to 2011, according to Dr Flavia Senkubuge, president of the CMSA.
‘We currently are engaging with the colleagues,’ Senkubuge is quoted as saying in City Press.
In the complaint filed by the group, the doctors asked the commission for mediation in order to speedily resolve the issues. On the alleged discrimination, the group said it had ‘evidence from some professors about the discrimination of black candidates at the hands of the CMSA and the HPCSA, including the evidence already presented before HRC at the 7 June meeting’.
The doctors cited case studies of how they had allegedly failed the CMSA exams continuously and questioned the way their appeals had been handled.
They also cited renowned doctors, who allegedly continuously failed exams, despite being highly recommended and recognised in the health sector.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
