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Limited private practice at academic hospitals - an 'in-house' group practice


R. P. Colborn
J. Kane-Berman
A. Hermann
J. P. de V. van Niekerk

Abstract

The teaching and training of health care professionals in South Africa is at serious risk of declining standards. There are many reasons for this, but one important reality is that it has become increasingly difficult to attract and retain highcalibre academic staff. For many individuals the academic environment has become unattractive because of deteriorating local conditions, better career opportunities and living conditions overseas, and remuneration packages which compare very unfavourably with the private sector and the Western world. The State was unable to increase salaries sufficiently to retain key medical personnel and in 1991 the Cabinet therefore agreed to the introduction of limited private practice (LPP) in the public sector hospitals as an inducement. Has LPP achieved its objectives? How has it affected patient care, teaching and research? We report on the experience of the Academic Health Complex: Cape Town (AHCCl), which includes Groote Schuur Hospital and Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital.


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574