FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

The School was accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and Health Professions’ Council of South Africa (HPCSA) in 2014 to offer the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) undergraduate degree. As a six-year programme, the MBChB offers intensive and competitive qualification where students acquire a range of training, from basic sciences to clinical skills laboratory, building up through primary healthcare, secondary, and tertiary care levels.

To qualify for admission into the first year of study, the applicant should have a Grade 12 bachelor’s pass and meet minimum the requirements in English, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Life Sciences (Biology). Also, those who obtained a science degree in the minimum required years to qualify. The first intake was in 2016, with the first cohort of 60 students, and the numbers have increased exponentially. The MBChB curriculum is an integrated system-based curriculum upkeep with world trends and the HPCSA requirements.

The School also offers accredited postgraduate studies, leading to specialisation in various clinical disciplines, such as Anaesthesiology, Dermatology, Forensic Pathology, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Paediatrics and Child Health, Paediatric Pulmonology, and Public Health Medicine, to mention a few. To qualify as a specialist, you should enrol as a registrar for a Master of Medicine (MMed) degree in one of the fields of specialities. In all of these specialities and sub-specialities, the College of Medicine of South Africa conducts the exit examination.

The duration of the MMed degree is four and five years for medical and surgical specialties, respectively.

There are many career opportunities in South Africa as the doctor-patient ratio is still very low. On completion of the MBChB degree, one can work as a general practitioner (GP) in public or private practice, after two years of internship and one year of community service. You can also specialise in your chosen clinical field. We aim to produce a well-rounded medical doctor who is fit to treat patients at all levels of care.