Working together with Rural Hospitals

The FOM Scholarship Scheme works together with hospitals from rural areas, with the aim of recruiting health professionals over the long term.

Together with a rural hospital, the FOM Scholarship Scheme helps school learners from that subdistrict become qualified health professionals, who will at least work back their contract period at that same hospital, and at best prioritise a long term career in rural areas.

Experience has shown that the working partnership between a hospital and the FOM Scholarship Scheme is most effective in reaching its aim, when the following factors are in place:

1. There is strong support for the project and a passion for long term recruitment from the Medical Manager, Hospital Manager, Finance Manager and HR Manager.

2. A hospital level Working Group is established with a point person to liaise with the FOM Scholarship Scheme.

3. The hospital Working Group prioritises and organises a minimum of four weeks of holiday work for students per year in the hospital.

4. Pre-Selection Volunteerism by applicants to the Scholarship Scheme is allowed at the hospital.

5. Two hospital representatives help select applicants for scholarships.

6. Hospital posts are timeously advertised, so that graduates may apply to work back their contract at the hospital.

7. Scholarship Scheme policies and procedures are clearly communicated, and regularly meetings are held between the hospital Working Group and the FOM Scholarship Scheme.

8. Managers of the hospitals are regularly updated on what is happening at the Scholarship Scheme.

Our experience also shows that the more hospitals within a rural district that participate in the Scholarship Scheme, the more effective that entire district (rather than just a sub-district) becomes at retaining health professionals.

We currently have active working relationships with groups at Mosvold Hospital and Hlabisa Hospital in the Umkhanyakude District. Further to this, we are in regular contact with managers from Bethesda, Manguzi and Mseleni Hospitals, and have students from those sub-districts receiving support from the Scholarship Scheme.