Registration of foreign qualified practitioners by the HPCSA

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is required by the Health Professions Act (HPA) No. 56 of 1974 to determine standards for the education and training of persons seeking to practise professions under the ambit of its 12 professional boards. 

Registered practitioners are required by law to always practise professionally and ethically to ensure that patients realise positive outcomes from the treatment and care they receive when unwell. Failure to do so will require the HPCSA to investigate alleged misconduct against practitioners, which may lead to punitive measures including suspension or de-registration from practising. 

Practitioners “holding qualifications not prescribed”

What distinguishes the registration of practitioners trained locally versus those trained abroad? While most practitioners seeking registration with the HPCSA are trained locally, others hold qualifications that legislation calls “not prescribed”. These are qualifications obtained abroad by both South African and non-South African persons who subsequently want to practise their profession in South Africa. The HPCSA is required by law to ascertain the suitability of the training they received - and most importantly, to confirm that they are adequately skilled and equipped to competently care for South Africans - before securing registration. 

How does the HPCSA determine equivalent or satisfactory training?

The 12 constituent Professional Boards of the HPSCA are empowered by the HPA to conduct assessments of applicants ahead of them being licensed to practise, to determine whether the training they received is equivalent to that offered in South Africa. Applicants seeking registration with the HPCSA must submit all relevant documents, preferably online at https://hpcsaonline.custhelp.com/.

Submissions found to be equivalent will be subjected to additional assessments in order to secure the practitioner’s registration with the HPCSA. This is usually in the form of board examinations that mainly constitute theory and practical assessments. 

Main requirements for assessing if foreign training is equivalent or satisfactory for registration 

Applicable regulations require applicants to apply for registration on a prescribed form that is obtainable from a Professional Board concerned, and which should be accompanied by:

• A certified copy of the applicant’s identity document or passport;
• A copy of the degree certificate or other basic qualification certified by a notary public, and where applicable, a sworn translation thereof into English;
• Verification of credentials as may be required by the board;
• A certificate of completed training in internship (or similar training or experience) where such is required;
• An original certificate of good standing, which shall not be more than six months old, issued by the foreign registration authority where the applicant is or was registered;
• A letter of endorsement issued by the National Health Department or prospective employer confirming the employability/ placement of the applicant/ confirmation of enrolment for postgraduate studies issued by the educational institution concerned for registration;
• The prescribed registration fee.

Applicants are required to secure verification from a legally empowered authority, which is currently the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The Medical and Dental Professions Board (MDB), as empowered, has additional requirements that prospective practitioners are required to meet to secure registration in professions falling under its ambit. Specifically, the board only accepts verification by the Educational Commission for foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) based in the United States. Applications get subjected to a “curriculum review” process to determine applicants’ eligibility against set criteria.

An institution whose curriculum is deemed suitable will be granted recognition, which will be valid for three years.

Requirements for curriculum review

Foreign qualified practitioners are required to provide details of their academic curricula for the foreign qualification studied, indicative of the following:

• Subjects covered in every year of study
• Content of each subject
• Learning outcomes for subjects
• Assessment criteria and method
• Hours of study, theory and clinical exposure
• Signed and stamped proof of accreditation by an in-country Medical Council/Regulator (or equivalent)

Curriculum reviews are protracted and usually take months before conclusion. Practitioners are advised to commence the process as early as possible, especially the collation of required notarised documents before submission.

Delayed processing of applications is usually caused by the following:

• Non-submission of compliant documents; 
• Submission of unauthorised, signed and stamped documents;
• Institutions taking time to provide applicants with the required documents.