Can medical graduates afford to become state medical officers?

Over the past 7 years, the cost of tuition and residence fees at the University of Cape Town Medical School has risen by 21.75% each year. This is considerably higher than the increase in the consumer price index over the same period and students are increasingly having to resort to loans to finance their education. The starting salary of a medical officer in the state services has, however, only risen by 9.73% each year over the same period. If these trends continue, the likelihood of young medical doctors employed in such posts being able to repay their loans is bleak and the services will experience increasing difficulty in filling posts, particularly in the peri-urban and rural areas. An innovative manner of financing medical education is needed. This could include allowing education costs to be tax-deductible after graduation, or providing incentives, rather than using coercion, to encourage young doctors to settle in less popular locations.