From early October, veterinarians and veterinary nurses were again included on South Africa’s key skills list after being removed in February 2022. The South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) said the move is much appreciated, taking into account the shortages of vets in the country.
President of SAVC Dr Nandipha Ndudane acknowledged the announcement as good news adding that this much-needed amendment to the critical skills list will help address the dire shortage of veterinarians and veterinary nurses in South Africa.
“It is much simpler to apply for a critical skills permit than a work permit, making it easier for foreign vets to work in South Africa. This will also assist with food safety and security in South Africa, as more veterinarians will be available to help farmers keep livestock healthy,” she said.
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Efforts have finally paid off
Ndudane acknowledged that the continuous collaborative efforts by SAVC, the South African Veterinary Association (Sava), and the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development (DALRRD) to lobby the department of home affairs (DHA) for veterinarians and veterinary nurses to be put back on the critical skills list, have finally paid off.
According to Ndudane, the SAVC is ready to issue the required “scarce skills” letters to home affairs upon request of qualifying foreign veterinarians and veterinary nurses looking to work in South Africa.
The SAVC clarified that the restoration also entails that veterinarians from the United Kingdom and Australia who are already licensed to practice in South Africa without taking SAVC tests, (as a result of mutual recognition agreements), will now be more easily able to get work permits in this country.
“Once these vets have registered with the SAVC, they will be required to complete a year of required community service through the department of agriculture.”
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A shot in the arm for international students
“As a result, adding veterinarians back to the list of vital skills would help international students studying veterinary science at the University of Pretoria (UP) meet their one-year requirement for community service, enabling them to stay in the country and practice,” she said.
SAVC highlighted concerns earlier this year about the large number of veterinarians leaving the country, leading to a major skills deficit in South Africa in a field essential to safeguarding animal health and food safety and security.
According to SAVC, in contrast to the international average of 200 to 400 vets per million, South Africa only has 60 to 70 vets per million residents.
Records from the SAVC reveal that every year, roughly 150 veterinarians leave the nation while only 160 students graduate from the only veterinary science programme at UP in South Africa.
Mitigating the deficit
“While work is being done to motivate for the establishment of additional faculties offering veterinary science qualifications and to implement strategies to retain veterinary professionals, the SAVC believes this positive step taken by the DHA will go a long way in mitigating South Africa’s veterinary skills deficit,” said Ndudane.
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