Loading Placemint...
Loading Placemint...
One-year community service post.
Community service is the compulsory year of paid public-sector practice every doctor completes after internship. It's the final step before independent registration.
Every doctor registering for the first time must complete twelve months of remunerated community service in the public sector before moving to independent practice. It's a requirement under the Health Professions Act. It must be completed within a maximum of two years, or the period served lapses.
Community-service posts sit across the whole country, frequently at district hospitals and clinics in under-served areas. For many doctors it's a year of greater independence and consolidating clinical skills.
Like internship, comserve posts are allocated centrally through the National Department of Health's Internship & Community Service Placement (ICSP) system (annual and mid-year cycles), with priority to South African citizens, then permanent residents.
General guidance, summarised from the HPCSA and the National Department of Health’s ICSP. Rules change, so always confirm the current requirements with the HPCSA and ICSP before you rely on them. See our methodology.
You must be registered as a community-service practitioner with the HPCSA before community service begins on 1 January, in practice two to three weeks before your internship ends. Leave it late and your appointment and salary can be delayed. See our HPCSA registration guide.
Remunerative work outside the public service (RWOPS) and locum work are prohibited during both internship and community service.
Community service is often a year of greater clinical independence in a rural or under-served setting. For what you’ll earn, see our salary & money guide, and for how placement works, our ICSP guide.
Free 2-minute quiz
Shortlist comserve sites by location, setting, and how much support or independence you want, in about two minutes.
Community-service eligibility is broader than internship, so more facility types qualify. Search and filter the accredited sites by province, setting and more.