Medical & Dental

Overview

The Medical and Dental Professions Board registers practitioners falling under the professions medical, dental, medical science and clinical associates. We aim to establish a generic framework of core competencies and exit concerns for the training and education of medical, dental, medical science and clinical associate practitioners. We also guide and inform curriculum development processes and ensure adherence by training institutions to our core competencies and training frameworks. Furthermore, we ensure effective communication with our stakeholders and establish up-to-date and relevant ethical rules of behaviour and conduct, while facilitating professional matters of decision making.

The following professions are registered within our Board:

Medical	Dental	Medical Science
Medical Practitioners Clinical Associates Medical Specialists	Dentist Practitioners Dental Specialists	Genetic Counsellors Medical Physicists Medical Biological Scientists

Vision

To provide quality and equitable healthcare through public protection, professional regulation and advocacy.

Mission

The mission of the Medical and Dental Professionals Board is to:

Ensure Appropriate education and training standards
Regulate and ensure compliance for professional registration
Promote and regulate professional as well as ethical practice
Guide the relevant professions and to protect the public
Maintain and enhance the dignity and integrity of the health profession and professionals
Advocate for the promotion of the health of the population
Commit to improved stakeholder engagement
Advise the Council and the Minister of Health in the development of strategic policy frameworks

Values

The Board will deliver on its mandate through:

Expecting honesty and integrity from its members
Acting with respect, fairness and transparency to all
Regulating consistently and decisively
Functioning effectively and efficiently
Ensuring accountability for its actions

Board Members

Board members are responsible for the establishment of committees and the appointment of chairpersons of committees. In terms of Regulation 2 of the Regulations relating to the functions and functioning of the Professional Board, the Professional Board at its first meeting each year, must appoint Committees which would function until the first meeting of the Professional Board in the following year.

The Board also appoints the Chairperson of each Committee, except in the case of the Executive Committee of the Professional Board, which is chaired by the Chairperson of the Professional Board. The composition, quorum, and terms of reference of each Committee have to be determined by the Professional Board.

Chairperson	Prof JLA Rantloane
Vice Chairperson	Dr LN Makwakwa
Board Members	Prof RF Chauke Dr LP Chirwa Dr VH Davids Ms LE Dikweni Dr NSK Dlamini Prof JJ Fagan Dr TK Gopane Dr U Govind Ms A Jansen van Rensburg Mr M Kekana Dr ME Kenoshi Dr TT Khanyile Prof M Kruger Dr KNL Linda-Mafanya Dr MN Mabasa Prof MS Mabenge Dr MR Makua Dr MC Manitshana Prof TJ Mariba Prof H Mathebula Prof AJ Mbokazi Dr SDLA Mhlambi Prof KP Mlisana Dr TG Mmethi Prof MS Nemutandani Dr MV Netshiombo Ms SS Nkadimeng Prof F Paruk Dr PT Pilane Dr TM Pinkoane Mr N Raheman Dr MS Sathekge Dr SM Seane Prof LM Sykes Prof M Theron Dr N Vabaza Prof MG Veller Prof ZZ Zingela Ms ZT Zondi

Announcements

Evaluations of medical qualifications not prescribed for registrations
The Health Professions Council of South Africa is a statutory body established in terms of Section 2 of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act no 56 of 1974). One of the objectives of the Health Professions Council of South Africa is to protect the interest of the public by ensuring that practitioners who wish to register to practice as Healthcare Practitioners meet all the prescribed requirements for registration and once registered uphold and maintain professional and ethical standards of practice >>> read more

Rules relating to the registration by medical practitioners and dentists of additional qualifications: Amendment
The Health Professions Council of South Africa intends, under section 61A of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No. 56 of 1974), to make the rules in the schedule. Interested persons are invited to submit any substantiated comments or representations in writing on the proposed amendments to the Registrar, Health Professions Council of South Africa by e-mail at: ntsanem@hpcsa.co.za for the attention of the Legal Advisor: Legislative drafting within three months from the date of publication of this notice >>> read more

Internships

Medical interns

2-year internship training

Medical Science

Internship Training
National Board Assessment for Intern Medical Scientists
National Board Assessment Form

Foreign Qualified practitioners – postgraduate training (supernumerary training)
By virtue of your registration in terms of Regulation 2(4) of Government Notice R1203 of 28 November 2000 promulgated in terms of the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act No 56 of 1974) you may only engage in postgraduate study and/or research in medicine or dentistry in South Africa as the holder of an appointment which is of a temporary and supernumerary nature as part of your contract with the University or institution as indicated on your registration certificate.
Please note that your registration in terms of regulation 2(4) is for the appointment in a supernumerary post for a period of twelve months only. This period could be extended upon application and with full motivation from the Dean of the Faculty or Head of the institution for further periods of not more than twelve months per application to a maximum of five years. An application for the extension of your registration should be submitted at least three months prior to the expiry date.
It should further be noted that you may not be appointed in a registrar post and the education and training will not be recognized for registration as a specialist in South Africa.

Examinations

Dear Practitioners.

Kindly note that the upcoming medical board examination scheduled for 25 October 2023 will be for repeaters and applications received and compliant by 31 March 2023.

Applications received from 01 April 2023 to date will be accommodated in the next board examination still to be scheduled.

MEDICAL BOARD EXAM
Theory component Date: 25 October 2023 Venue: University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN)
Practical Component (OSCE) Date: 05 – 08 December 2023 Venue: University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN)

MEDICAL BOARD EXAM
Dear Practitioners, Kindly note that the HPCSA is still in discussion with the UKZN, the agency appointed by the Council to administrate the Medical Board Exams. Once the MOA is concluded and signed, we can only discuss and agree on exam dates, so we don’t have confirmed exam dates. Please note that candidates who are complaint to take the Boards Exam are notified and invited 30 days before the exam is to take place.

MEDICAL BOARD EXAM

Dear Practitioners,

Kindly note that the HPCSA is still in discussion with the UKZN, the agency appointed by the Council to administrate the Medical Board Exams.

Once the MOA is concluded and signed, we can only discuss and agree on exam dates, so we don’t have confirmed exam dates.

Please note that candidates who are complaint to take the Boards Exam are notified and invited 30 days before the exam is to take place.

EXAM RESULTS
Dear Candidate The Medical and Dental Professional Board’s practical examinations results are now available. Candidates are advised to use their respective reference numbers to access their results using the following link: http://isystems.hpcsa.co.za/eresult/ Registration of Foreign Qualified person after passing the HPCSA Medical Board Examination Annexure to Form 12

PATHWAY FOR SOUTH AFRICANS WHO HOLD FOREIGN QUALIFICATIONS

The Medical and Dental Professions Board (MDB) considered the registration of South African Citizens who hold qualifications not prescribed for registration during the board meeting held on the 19th and 24th June 2020 >>>> read more

Examination Fees

Medical Board examination	R13 029.00
Dental Board Examination	R22 000.00

Important notice:

Kindly note that there are no examination dates for Medical and Dental Board examination at this stage as soon as the dates are available those eligible to write the examination will receive invitation.

APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION OF PERSONS WHO HOLD QUALIFICATIONS NOT PRESCRIBED FOR REGISTRATION MEDICAL BOARD EXAMINATION
NB: An application that does not meet any of the prescribed requirements will be rejected.
Requirements: Foreign qualified practitioners wishing to practice their profession in South Africa may apply to the Health Professions Council. If such application meets all requirements as prescribed in the regulations regulating the registration of persons who hold qualifications not prescribed, the applicant will be invited to write the medical board examination. In terms of regulation 4 of the regulations regulating registration of persons who hold qualifications not prescribed: “An application by any foreign qualified person for registration as a health practitioner in any of the professions registered under the Act shall be made on the prescribed application form obtainable from the professional board concerned, and shall be accompanied by - a) a certified copy of the applicant’s identity document or passport. b) a copy of the degree certificate or other basic qualification, certified by a notary public, and a sworn translation thereof into English; Copies of degree certificates or other basic qualification certified by a Commissioner of Oaths or Justice of Peace will not be accepted. c) a certified copy of the official and detailed curriculum of the applicant’s course of study, the specific courses, the content of education (theory) and training (practical/clinical), and the duration and mode of examination/evaluation. d) such verification of credentials as may be required by the board; the Medical and Dental Board recognises verifications of credentials conducted by the Education Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) confirming verification of: · medical qualification. · transcript of the qualification. · registration with a regulatory body where practitioner was practising his/her profession. · intern duty certificate issued by a regulatory body or hospital/institution where internship was conducted outside the republic of South Africa. e) in the case of an application for registration in a profession for which internship training is a requirement, a certificate of completed training as an intern or of similar training or experience obtained elsewhere and the programme for such training. f) in the case of an application for registration in the category of independent practice, proof of compliance with the requirements of section 25(3A) of the Act. g) 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. h) a letter of endorsement issued by the national Department of Health for - registration confirming the employability or placement of the applicant, i) the prescribed board examination fee. Applicants SHOULD NOT go ahead and pay the examination fee before their application has been confirmed compliant with all requirements.
IMPORTANT NOTES: Applications that are not supported by a recent Certificate of Good Standing from a regulatory authority, as proof that the applicant worked in the territory issuing the Certificate of Good Standing, will not be considered. Certificate of Conduct or Certificate of Character from a Medical School is not the same as a Certificate of Good Standing and may therefore not be used in place of a Certificate of Good Standing.

INFORMATION ON BOARD DENTAL EXAMINATIONS

1.1. Board Examination for competence. This is for foreign-qualified practitioners and practitioners required to take this examination for restoration of their name to the register.

The Board’s dental examination is organised into three parts, theoretical and practical. The examination will be conducted on the Board’s behalf by one of the South African dental schools. Unless otherwise stated, the examination will take place once a year, the time to be determined by the Board in collaboration with the dental school assisting the Board.

Part I

This comprises MCQs in bioethics to test the candidate’s knowledge of the ethical guidelines of the HPCSA.

Candidates must pass Part I to be eligible for Part II

Part II

This comprises two written papers and will assess the integrated knowledge of all domains of clinical dentistry, including the theoretical and biological aspects which are considered vital knowledge for the general dentist to practice safely without hazard to the patient. Papers may comprise any combination of different types of assessment such as multiple-choice questions, extended matching questions, short answer responses to complex case presentation, radiographic diagnosis and any other forms of assessments the Board may determine.

Candidates must pass Part II to be eligible for Part III.

Exemption: exemption from Part II will be granted if the candidate has passed equivalent examinations set in other countries for foreign-qualified practitioners. Examples are the UK Overseas Registration Examination (UK); the National Board Dental Examination (USA); the Written Examination of the Australian Dental Council. Candidates may apply to the Board for the recognition of other similar examinations.

Part III

This will comprise practical examinations testing the following clinical skills in a skills laboratory on simulated models.

Endodontics: Procedures to be carried out on an extracted bicuspid tooth are access cavity, canal preparation and obturation. Candidates will be supplied with appropriate instrumentation which will include an air turbine, speed-increasing handpiece, hand, and rotary instrumentation and obturation materials.

Operative dentistry: A two-surface composite restoration on a posterior typodont tooth. Candidates will be supplied with a speed-increasing handpiece, an appropriate matrix system and restorative materials.

Maxillo-Facial and Oral Surgery: (a) to demonstrate the administration of an inferior alveolar nerve block local anaesthetic; (b) to demonstrate the placement of forceps for the extraction of all teeth; (c) to demonstrate / explain the surgical extraction of roots and third molars.

Prosthodontics: (a) to survey a cast of a partially edentulous case and to draw suitable designs for an acrylic- and metal-based removable partial denture; (b) to carry out a preparation for a ceramo-metal crown on a posterior typodont tooth; (c) to carry out a preparation for an all-ceramic crown on an anterior typodont tooth and to fabricate a provisional crown for that tooth. Candidates will be supplied with the following:

For part (a): a surveyor and a template for the design.

For part (b): a speed-increasing handpiece, with appropriate burs

For part (c): a speed-increasing handpiece, with appropriate burs; a straight handpiece with appropriate burs for the provisional; a thermo-formed coping of the unprepared teeth; a polyethyl methacrylate for the provisional crown with suitable instrumentation; access to a laboratory for completion of the provisional crown.

Candidates may bring their own instruments and burs and are highly advised to use magnification in the form of appropriate loupes.

A pass for each of the above assessments is required for the candidate to pass Part III.

Exemption: exemption from Part III will be granted if the candidate has passed equivalent examinations set in other countries for foreign-qualified practitioners. Examples are the Part 2 of the Overseas Registration Examination (UK); the National Board Dental Examination (USA); the Practical Examination of the Australian Dental Council. Candidates may apply to the Board for the recognition of other similar examinations.

A maximum of three (3) attempts may be made to pass each Part of this examination. A fourth attempt may be considered at the discretion of the Board one year after the unsuccessful third attempt. The applicant is expected to undergo further training during this period. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain such training and provide proof thereof.

Once the Board examination has been passed, the candidate will be registered in the category of Supervised Practice in an accredited dental training institution for a minimum of 12 months to become familiar with the clinical profile of patients in South Africa and to show competence in all areas of general dental practice.

Incomplete/non-compliant applications will be returned to the sender.

There is no re-mark for the written and practical examination. Inquiries regarding the examinations should be directed to HPCSA’s administration and not to the University.

Examination Rules (Practical - OSCE)
The following items are not allowed in the examination venue for practical and written examination: Cellphones Any paper or electronic devices Watch Bags Should any of the above be found in your possession, you will be disqualified from taking the examination Please note that there is no remarking for both parts of the examination because the written examination is a multiple-choice question and the OSCE is an event examination.

Examination Rules (Practical - OSCE)

The following items are not allowed in the examination venue for practical and written examination:

Cellphones
Any paper or electronic devices
Watch
Bags

Should any of the above be found in your possession, you will be disqualified from taking the examination

Please note that there is no remarking for both parts of the examination because the written examination is a multiple-choice question and the OSCE is an event examination.

Examination Information

The board examination is a single examination which consists of two parts, namely the written examination and the practical examination; should a candidate be unsuccessful in the practical board examination he/she will be required to do the whole examination (Written and Practical) in his/her next attempt. Foreign Qualified Medical Practitioners are allowed to write the board examination, not more than three attempts within two (2) years to complete the Board examination. Attempts are as follows: Attempt 1: 1 theory + 2 practical Attempt 2: 1 theory + 2 practical Attempt 3: 1 theory + 2 practical
Additional Information regarding Board Exams: The list of candidates eligible to take examinations will be sent to the examination centre. Should it happen that your name is not on the list. You will not be allowed to sit for examination. Candidates are expected to be in the venue an hour before the examinations’ starting time. Candidates will be required to produce the following: two recent passport size photographs; the first one will be requested on the date of the written examination, the 2nd one will be requested during the Practical examination. Original ID/Passport Letter from HPCSA administration (confirmation letter) stating that you are allowed to take the examination
Board Examination Guidelines for Medicine (SPEXI Examinee Policies and Procedures)
Recognition of universities by the Medical and Dental Professions Board	View document

For MDB Board Examination Matters Contact:

E-mail:

MDBexams@hpcsa.co.za

Accreditations

CMS B - Policy regarding the criteria for accreditation of facilities for internship training	View document
CMS C - Annual Report	View document
CMS D1 - Self-evaluation questionnaire MBS	View document
CMS D2 - Self-evaluation questionnaire GC	View document
CMS D3 - Self-evaluation questionnaire PH	View document
CMS E1 - Evaluation report MBS	View document
CMS E2 - Evaluation report GC	View document
CMS E3 - Evaluation report PH	View document
CMS F - Evaluation of intern experience	View document
CMS G - Application for increase in post numbers	View document
CMS H - Guidelines on Assessment and Moderation of PoE	View document
CMS J Policy on accreditation	View document

BELOW INFORMATION CONTAINED MEDICAL PROGRAMMES:

Medical Practitioners
Clinical Associates
Medical Specialists (Postgrad)

Spec Form 1	View document
Spec Form 2	View document
Spec Form 3	View document
Spec Form 4	View document
Spec Form 5	View document
Template for Interviews Postgrad Medical	View document
Policy for the Evaluation of Medical and Dental Programmes	View document
Guidelines for evaluation of medical postgraduate accreditations	View document

BELOW INFORMATION CONTAINED DENTIST PROGRAMMES:

Dentist Practitioners
Dental Specialists

Annual Report Template Undergrad	View document
PG Acreditation visit programme template	View document
UG Acreditation visit programme template	View document

Policies

Policy on the Restoration and Revocation	View document
Policy SA Citizens with foreign qualifications	View document

Guidelines

The guidelines for the Board include the Ethical Rules of Conduct in respect of which we may take disciplinary steps.

Guidelines for Registration of Foreign Qualified Dental Practitioners and Dental Specialists (Form 176 - DP)	View Document
Guidelines for Registration of Foreign Qualified Medical Practitioners and Medical Specialists (Form 176 - MP)	View document
CMS 01 GC - National Curriculum	View document
CMS 01 MBS - National Curriculum	View document
CMS 02 GC - Guidelines of Submission and Assessment of PoE	View document
CMS 02 MBS - Guidelines for Submission and Assessment of PoE	View document
CMS 4 Guidelines foreign qualified Medical Scientists	View document
CMS 03 - MBS RB - template for intern training program	View document
CMS 03 – PH Template for the development of a facility-based intern training program	View document
Supervised Practice Guidelines	View document
Supervision report form	View document

Rules

Rules for the registration of health assistants – GN R2349/76	View document
Rules for the registration of anaesthetist's assistants – Gen N 904/83	View document
Rules relating to the registration by medical practitioners and dentists of additional qualifications	View document
Rules relating to continuing education and training in medicine and dentistry – BN 11/2002 (Repealed by BN 29 / GG 29716 / 20070323)
Rules registration of additional qualifications

Regulations

Regulations relating to the registration and training of interns in medicine – GN R57/2004	View document
Regulations relating to the conditions under which registered health assistants may practise their profession – GN R2350/76	View document
Regulations relating to the conditions under which registered anaesthetist's assistants may practise their profession – GN R2362/76	View document
Regulations relating to the registration of persons as general practitioners and family physicians in medicine – GN R1200/2000	View document
Regulations relating to the registration of persons as general practitioners in dentistry – GN R1201/2000	View document
Regulations relating to the specialities and sub-specialities in medicine and dentistry – GN R590/2001	View document
Regulations relating to the constitution of the medical and dental professional board – GN R1252/2008	View document
Regulations relating to the registration of medical practitioners and dentists restricted to non-clinical practice, 2003 – GN 357/2004	View document
Regulations relating to the registration of students, undergraduate curricula and professional examinations in dentistry – GN R140/2009	View document
Regulations relating to the registration of students, undergraduate curricula and professional examinations in medicine – GN R139/2009	View document