The Health Professions Council of South Africa has raised its annual registration fees for medical practitioners by 13% again this year. In 2021, fees were raised by 15%. This amounts to a more than 30% fee increase in 2 years. In 2021, only medical practitioners were subjected to this exorbitant raise despite the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not spare healthcare workers. It is unjustifiable to raise the registration fees by this amount once again, as doctors across the country struggle for weeks and months to obtain documentation from the HPCSA. Calls and emails go unanswered for weeks. HPCSA services are becoming increasingly automated, and more employees are working from home. Surely this amounts to a DECREASE in running costs and should amount to a drop in registration fees.

With this petition we ask the HPCSA to waive its fee increase for 2022/2023 registrations.