With great pleasure, North-West University (NWU) announces that Dr. M.J. Phaahla, MP, Minister of Health, has formally endorsed the university’s proposal to open the NWU Medical School. I’m delighted to let you know that the NDOH approved of your university’s intention to establish a medical education program with the distinctive feature of including primary healthcare early in medical doctor education. For this reason, I am happy to offer my institution my support in theory. This is contingent upon North-West University fulfilling further accreditation requirements. Dr. Phaahla, South Africa’s Minister of Health.
The NWU Medical School Task Team, led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, chancellor Dr. Anna Mokgokong, members of the North-West provincial government led by the Premier, and members of the NWU Council under the direction of Mr. Bert Sorgdrager, have done a great job over the years, and their efforts have culminated in the support of the Minister of Health.
From this point forward, the Department of Higher Education (DHET) and the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation will be involved in a serious discussion and finalization of the specifics of the NWU Medical School. Furthermore, concerning the curriculum and its accreditation, the institution will start talking and consulting with pertinent organizations like the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
The NWU will suggest the following significant elements to the appropriate regulatory bodies:
a) A longitudinal, self-directed, integrated, interprofessional, and transdisciplinary learning environment is made possible by the living context of the community and the dispersed clinical training platform.
b) The program will last for six (6) years. An integrated preclinical program lasting three years is followed by a clinical training period lasting three years, an internship, and community service.
c) The Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District’s Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital Complex and its associated medical facilities and clinics will function as the first clinical training grounds; and
d) As the clinical training platform develops and grows, the initial enrollment will be 50 students and will progressively rise to 100 or more overtime.
“The curriculum’s essential elements are prepared to be submitted by the NWU Management to the DHET, CHE, and HPCSA for certification. An extensive proposal that the team has previously put together will be made to these structures in the early months of 2024. Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, vice-chancellor and head of NWU, continued, “I look forward to discussing the details with our partners in the public and private sectors in South Africa and beyond to ensure that all hands remain on deck towards the implementation of our plans for the NWU Medical School.”
Additional information on the NWU Medical School program and updates will be provided as soon as the required clearances from the CHE, HPCSA, and Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation are obtained.
We continue to be upbeat and hopeful that everything will happen as planned and we will be able to welcome first-year NWU Medical School students in 2028.
