Do South African universities provide the required training platforms for otolaryngology specialist training?

Concern exists about the quality of specialist training platforms at South African universities and teaching hospitals.

We conducted an audit of the quality of training at South African otolaryngology (ENT) training institutions from the perspective of the registrars.

Some institutions were deficient in terms of supervision, theatre time, access to teaching aids and research tools, and range of surgery, and do not provide the required training platforms for ENT specialist training. Five out of 8 institutions have produced <2 publications in peer-reviewed journals over the past 5 years.

The HPCSA fails to adequately police the quality of training in South Africa. Training programme shortcomings must urgently be addressed to ensure proper education and training of otolaryngologists.