The Department of Home Affairs have added 41 specialised healthcare occupations to the Critical Skills List that was published at the beginning of this year. Given the shortage of specialized healthcare professionals in the country it was a surprise when none were included in the original list, but this has now been rectified.

The list of healthcare professionals includes the following: anaesthesiologists, neurologists, obstetricians, paediatricians and pathologists. The list also includes 6 categories of specialist nurses, namely midwife specialists, child nursing, emergency nursing, peri-operative nursing, mental health nursing and critical care nursing. Various categories of dentists such as oral pathologists, periodontists, prosthodontists, and oral surgeons have also been included.

Applicants must have active registration with the relevant Regulatory Body in their field of healthcare from the foreign country where they are practicing their profession.