Compulsory community service for doctors in South Africa--an evaluation of the first year.

Abstract

On 12 December 1997 the then State President, Mr Nelson Mandela, signed into law t.'le Health Professions Amendment Act, sealing the debates that had raged for some time over compulsory commtrnity service (CS) and postgraduate vocational training for medical graduates in South Africa. The first cohort of 26 doctors started their CS in July 1998, followed by a larger cohort of 1 088 in January 1999. This report presents an attempt to evaluate the effects and impact of this scheme at the end of the first year of full operation.