Pharmacy graduates urge department to expedite internship placements

THE decision by KwaZulu-Natal's health department to temporarily halt the placement of pharmacist interns and other health professional interns in 2026, due to budgetary constraints, has been roundly rejected by graduates and trade unions.

- SIPHO JACK and GCWALISILE KHANYILE

Many pharmacy graduates from around the province have appealed to the Health Department to prioritise the release of internship posts, especially for the 2025 cohort, so that they are able to transition into their professional careers.

Their concerns stemmed from the department's MEC, Nomagugu Simelane, who stated that while they were fully committed to training the next generation of health professionals, the available funding from the provincial fiscus was acutely constrained.

"As a result, we have only been able to secure placements for medical interns and community service personnel at this time.

"This difficult decision stems from a simple, unavoidable principle: we cannot spend what we do not have. The exclusion of other categories is a matter of fiscal reality, not a measure of their value or importance to our health system," the department stated.