The SA Medical Association (SAMA) raised strong concerns about the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) new competency-based medical training model launched for the African region. While the WHO argues that integrating theory and clinical practice from the start of medical training will produce work-ready doctors more quickly, SAMA warns that accelerated education must not compromise patient safety. Spokesperson Vezi Silwanyana cautioned that using the model as a shortcut to speed up doctor production would be dangerous, especially given SA’s heavy burden of trauma, infectious diseases, and chronic conditions. According to SAMA, no reputable global system has removed supervised postgraduate training, with countries retaining internship or residency structures even under competency-based frameworks. -TimesLive (28 Nov 2025)