Private hospital, university-led health sciences teaching and training: A proposal for the University of Limpopo’s Faculty of Health Sciences specialist lecturer shortage

Abstract

Medical doctor training has largely retained the historical context of biased resource allocation. However, lately, new medical schools have been added to the lot. The University of Limpopo Medical School was established in 2016. Although successful with undergraduate training, to date, the latter struggles with both recruitment and retention of specialist staff numbers for accreditation purposes. The private sector (hospitals and staff) potentially has the resources and human capital to aid in addressing the skills shortage that exists in the province and the university. This review aims to assess the available literature and evidence that supports the role that private doctors and hospitals can play in undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching and training. A narrative review of the literature was conducted to peruse evidence on the status of private–public partnerships in medical teaching and training. There is growing evidence for private sector teaching both locally and internationally. The government, regulators and end-users seem aligned on private sector involvement in medical training. The medical teaching and training landscape is changing with demands for innovative solutions. Infrastructure, legislation and end-users may be poised for the implementation of the private hospital, university-led health sciences teaching and training (PHUHSTT) programmes. The evidence, therefore, exists as a foundation for further engagement and possible implementation of the latter. Our proposal is not a silver bullet, but a recommendation for tackling the current state of affairs in relation to challenges in medical teaching and training at the University of Limpopo (UL).