MEDICAL REGISTRAR

The Gauteng Department of Health, in partnership with the University of Witwatersrand, is advertising three Medical Registrar positions in the directorate of Neurosurgery. Two posts are based at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and one at Thelle Mogeerane Regional Hospital. These are joint appointments, combining clinical service delivery in busy public sector neurosurgery units with the academic training programme of the university’s Department of Neurosurgery. The package is aligned to the Occupational Specific Dispensation, meaning the salary is adjusted according to the appointee’s years of experience, as is standard for this type of post.

Applicants must hold an appropriate qualification that allows registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as a Medical Practitioner, and must already be registered with the HPCSA as an independent medical practitioner. Completion of community service is a firm requirement, and candidates must also have current HPCSA registration for the 2026/2027 period. Those who have passed the Neurosurgery Part 1 primary examinations will have a distinct advantage. South African citizenship or permanent residency is required. For anyone holding a foreign qualification, an evaluation certificate from the South African Qualifications Authority must be provided, and it remains the applicant’s responsibility to obtain this before appointment.

The duties of the role are both clinical and academic. The registrar will carry out neurosurgery assessments, including risk assessments, develop clinical management plans, and manage patients using safe, evidence-based and compassionate care approaches. A key part of the work is applying cost-containment measures while maintaining high standards of patient care. On the academic side, registrars are expected to attend the teaching programme run by the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of the Witwatersrand. They must also teach and supervise undergraduate medical students and medical interns. The position is designed for trainee specialists, so a high level of ethics and professionalism governs all service delivery and training activities.

The Gauteng Department of Health is guided by Employment Equity principles, and people with disabilities, as well as Coloured, Indian and White males and females, are particularly encouraged to apply. Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit certified copies of their educational qualifications and relevant documents on or before the day of the interview. The selection process includes personnel suitability checks, such as criminal record verification, citizenship checks, qualification verification, company directorship checks, social media checks, financial record checks and reference checks. The recommended candidate may also be subjected to medical surveillance in line with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. There is no application fee, and the department reserves the right not to fill any of the posts. Applications are only accepted through the provincial online recruitment portal, and must include a fully completed and signed Z83 form plus a detailed CV; applications that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified. This is an ideal opportunity for a post-community-service medical practitioner who wants to specialise in academic and clinical neurosurgery.