Work in South Africa

Whilst public healthcare facilities in rural areas can be rudimentary, many facilities in urban areas are cutting-edge, placing South Africa firmly at the forefront of medical advances with many excellent private facilities equalling those in Europe.

For a doctor working in South Africa, there are opportunities to work in public and private facilities or as a family doctor in a clinic. The number of private hospitals has been growing steadily and there are a wide variety of choices in inner-city and outland areas.

South Africa is a breathtakingly beautiful country with a culturally diverse people and a wide variety of activities and attractions to enjoy and in general South Africans are fun-loving and laid back.

Health System

Doctors from all over the world come to South Africa to gain practical experience in the country's many teaching hospitals and rural clinics and the standard of training of doctors in South Africa has enjoyed a good reputation for decades.

South African medical facilities are, in general, of a high standard, particularly in urban areas where large state-hospitals and private clinics are in good supply.

There are opportunities in a wide variety of public and private health care facilities and the (HPCSA) will consider registering foreign qualified applicants without examination, essentially fast-tracking the registration of doctors from developed countries.

Whatever choice you make, Direct Medics will find the right position for you and guide you in your application to work as a doctor in South Africa.

Lifestyle

It is not only the climate, the scenic and geographical diversity, but also the culture and people that maintains this attraction.

South Africa has some of the worlds most varied terrain which sustains rich diversity of flora and fauna. The iconic Kruger national park along with numerous other private game lodges allows visitors to see lions, elephants, rhinos and many other wildlife animals.

Cape Town, the most visited tourist attraction in South Africa, has a wide selection of urban activities and sits alongside a picturesque stretch of coastline with forests, mountains, rivers and lakes running parallel to it.

If you are near the coast, you can enjoy the surf and sand and there are a wide variety of great activities to enjoy including can enjoy including paragliding, hang gilding, mountain biking, shark cage diving and much more.

With such a varied range of locations and activities, there is something for everyone in South Africa.

Standard of Living

In 2009, South Africa had an unemployment rate of 23.5%. Despite this high unemployment rate and a GDP per capita of $5,684 (US), the United Nations classifies South Africa as a middle-income country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal and transport sectors and a stock exchange that ranks among the top twenty in the world.

Salaries in South Africa vary slightly depending where you work. The following table illustrates an approximate salary based on seniority.

The Quality of Living Survey 2009 from Mercer Human Resource Consulting placed Cape Town and Port Elizabeth 4th and 5th in the Top 5 cities in the Middle East and Africa.

The Environment

South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world and is located at the southernmost region of Africa, with a long coastline that stretches more than 2,500 km along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

South Africa is ranked sixth out of the world’s seventeen megadiverse countries with more than 10% of all the known species of plants on Earth. Numerous mammals are also found in the bushveld including lions, leopards, white rhinos, blue wildebeest, kudus, impalas, hyenas, hippopotamus and giraffes.

The climatic zones vary, from the extreme desert in the farthest northwest to the lush subtropical climate in the east along the Mozambique border and the Indian Ocean. Maximum temperatures often exceed 32ºC in the summer and fall to -6ºC in winter.

The People

South Africans have been referred to as the 'rainbow nation’; a title which epitomises the country's cultural diversity with the population structure is one of the most complex and diverse in the world.

There are eleven official languages in South Africa including English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Swazi.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new South Africa is that the country is in the process of reinventing itself and as a nation of about 50 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and religions it is an exciting place to live.

How to Register Interest

We seek to meet the needs of our doctors through an ongoing assessment of demand for work opportunities in South Africa.

To register your interest in opportunities available in South Africa please email za@directmedics.com.