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Solidarity suspends legal action
SAPA
2002-12-12

he trade union Solidarity has conditionally suspended legal action against the government aimed at preventing the introduction of an extra year of internship. This came after health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and the provincial health MECs agreed on Friday to support a decision by the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) to reduce the academic training by a year. The HPCSA earlier decided to double the existing one-year internship. After protests by medical students, mostly from the University of Pretoria, it decided that the academic training preceding the internship should be a minimum of five years. At present, students at most universities have a six-year course and then do a compulsory one-year internship. The new arrangement would become effective from 2005. Under the new dispensation the students would be paid for their two-year internship, the health department said. Solidarity, which supported the Pretoria students, said on Monday its lawyers had already drawn up papers to serve on the government for court action against the extension of the internship when the decision about the shorter academic training was made. In light of the decision, it suspended its court action pending the response of the government on two issues. The students wanted to know how the decision would affect students already busy with their courses and whether they would have to do two years' internship in addition to a six-year academic course. They also needed clarity on the remuneration to be paid. Depending on the answers to these questions, Solidarity would decide whether or not to go ahead with its court action, spokesman Dirk Hermann said.( Source: SAPA:, 9 December 2002).

p>The trade union Solidarity has conditionally suspended legal action against the government aimed at preventing the introduction of an extra year of internship.

This came after health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and the provincial health MECs agreed on Friday to support a decision by the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) to reduce the academic training by a year.

The HPCSA earlier decided to double the existing one-year internship. After protests by medical students, mostly from the University of Pretoria, it decided that the academic training preceding the internship should be a minimum of five years.

At present, students at most universities have a six-year course and then do a compulsory one-year internship.

The new arrangement would become effective from 2005. Under the new dispensation the students would be paid for their two-year internship, the health department said.

Solidarity, which supported the Pretoria students, said on Monday its lawyers had already drawn up papers to serve on the government for court action against the extension of the internship when the decision about the shorter academic training was made.

In light of the decision, it suspended its court action pending the response of the government on two issues.

The students wanted to know how the decision would affect students already busy with their courses and whether they would have to do two years' internship in addition to a six-year academic course.

They also needed clarity on the remuneration to be paid. Depending on the answers to these questions, Solidarity would decide whether or not to go ahead with its court action, spokesman Dirk Hermann said.( Source:  SAPA:, 9 December 2002).

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