Helping to plan for, find and keep the workforce needed to deliver health for all.
AHP is a social profit organisation that works with the South African government and civil society organisations to find solutions to Human Resources for Health challenges.
Staffing
Why South Africa
There are three reasons why you should work in rural healthcare in South Africa:
Better work experience: Tired of spending your days completing paperwork, seeing nothing more exciting than a new strain of flu? If you’re working as a rural doctor in South Africa, you're likely to be thrown straight into the deep end.
Expect to deal with trauma, obstetrics, anaesthesia and HIV/Aids – all in a day's work! The generalist nature of the medical services required in rural hospitals provides doctors with excellent exposure to the full range of primary medical disciplines, including obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthetics, surgery, and internal medicine. This allows doctors to develop proficiency in a wide range of medical fields.
Humanitarian reasons: You can have an impact on the lives of thousands of people. Working in a rural hospital in South Africa gives you the opportunity to contribute towards improving the medical care provided to impoverished and underserved communities in the country – And isn’t that why you chose to become a doctor in the first place?
Lifestyle: The quality of life and exposure to unique experiences that South Africa is able to offer is a major pull factor. Doctors can trade being late for work because of traffic on the London underground for being late because there were elephants crossing the road on their way to work at Hlabisa Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal!
“The highlight has been the feeling that I’m able to help the people who need help the most. It makes me smile.” – Dr Femke Boot
“It is a unique opportunity. There are wonderful hospitals. If you are looking for experience, or if you want to be supervised, you will find it here. If you want to work independently in a rural setting, you will also find that.” – Dr Andrei Kirpichnikov
AHP facilitates the process from enquiry to placement and supports you in finding the right position for your skills and interests – all free of charge!
AHP has placed 3 266 foreign-qualified and local health workers, managers and support staff since the organisation’s inception in 2005. In 2014, AHP made 336 placements in South Africa.
An important component of the recruitment programme is the implementation of an orientation programme to prepare foreign-qualified doctors for life in a rural environment and ensure that the transition from their home country to rural South Africa is as stress-free as possible.
The programme aims to orientate and effectively integrate healthcare workers into their team and community. The orientation programme focuses on clinical, logistical and cultural orientation.
Want to know what it is like to work as a doctor in South Africa? Watch this video shot at Bethesda Hospital in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
