Internship and Community Services Programme (ICSP)

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About Internship and Community Service (ICSP)

In 1998, Government introduced the Community Service Policy that required Health Professionals to complete 12 months of Community Service and 24 months of Medical Internship through remunerative work in the public health sector. The purpose of the policy was to achieve better distribution of human resources for health to under-serviced areas and thereby improving equitable access to primary health care services.

The National Department of Health (NDoH) developed the Internship and Community Service Placement (ICSP) online system to assist eligible applicants who are required by law to perform a statutory obligation for medical internship and community service.

The ICSP online System, makes provision for two (2) allocation Cycles (i.e. Annual Cycle and the Mid-year Cycle) for two (2) programs as per the Statutory requirements:

Internship – Medical graduates (Doctors) need to complete a two (2) year internship programme prior to registration as a community service medical practitioner, as provided for in Section 61 of the Health Professions Act 56 of 1974 and associated regulations relating to the registration and training of interns in medicine.

Community Service – Legislation prescribe that health professional graduates who wish to register for independent practice, need to complete one year of remunerated community service at health establishments as approved by the Minister of Health.

  • The following field of study is applicable for Community Service:
    Audiologist, Clinical Psychologist, Dentist, Diagnostic Radiographer, Diagnostic Sonographer, Dietician, Environmental Health Practitioner, Medical Practitioner, Nuclear Medicine, Radiographer, Occupational Therapist, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, Professional Nurse, Radiotherapy, Speech and Audiology Therapist and Speech Therapist.

2025 Annual Cycle Information

Dear Applicants:

Opening and closing dates:  Applications for posts are closed.

Release of Preliminary Results

Preliminary allocation results release dates for the 2025 Annual Cycle – Medical Internship and Community Service:

ProfessionResults Release datesSWOPS ApplicationAppeal ApplicationAppeals Outcome
Environmental Health Practitioner25 October 2024
(late afternoon)
25 – 30 October 20245 – 8 November 202418 November 2024
Medical Community Service Doctors16 October 2024
(late afternoon)
16 – 21 October 2024 24 – 29 October 202418 November 2024
Diagnostic Radiographers and Physiotherapists15 October 2024
(late afternoon)
15 – 18 October 202422 – 25 October 20244 November 2024
(Extended until 5 November 2024)
Pharmacist11 October 202411 – 16 October 202418 – 23 October 202429 October 2024
(Extended until 5 November 2024)
Group 1 (see below)27 September 202427 September 2024 –
3 October 2024
15 – 18 October 202428 October 2024
(Extended until 5 November 2024)

Group 1:

Medical Internship, Audiologist, Clinical Psychologist, Dentist, Diagnostic Sonographer, Dietician, Nuclear Medicine Radiographer, Occupational Therapist, Professional Nurse, Radiotherapy, Speech and Audiology Therapist, and Speech Therapist.

Preliminary Result Release Process:

Eligible applicants who were allocated will receive an email and a SMS indicating your allocation status.

  1. Please log on to the ICSP Online System with your logon details to view your allocation – https://icsp-doh.org.za/
  2. All applicants allocated must accept or reject their allocation on the ICSP Online System within a week of the release of the results. (ICSP will automatically accept your allocation on your behalf if no action was made by the applicant)
  3. You can accept your allocation and download your allocation letter. You can use this allocation letter to contact the provincial department where you have been allocated to arrange further details to finalize your contract with the relevant stakeholder. (Refer to Contact details on this page)
  4. If you did not receive one of your 1-5 Choices, then you can follow the process to apply for a SWOP online. (Please log on to the ICSP Online System with your login details and follow the process.)


SWOP Process:

  1. The SWOP application is only available for three working days from date of release of the preliminary results.
  2. The SWOP application can only be done on the ICSP Online System.
  3. The ICSP online will automatically look for an applicant who also wants to SWOP in a Province, District or specific facility where you indicated you would like to SWOP to.
  4. After the SWOP process closed, ICSP will process all the applications through the ICSP Algorithm and try to match you to an available facility.
  5. SWOP results will be released to applicants who applied for a SWOP via email and SMS’s.


Appeal Process:

After the SWOP results have been released, applicants who are still not satisfied with their allocation, will be able to appeal their allocation on the ICSP Online System.

Please click on the decline button to follow the process of appeal when logged in on the ICSP Online System:

Please Note:

  1. Only applicants who were not placed within their 1-5 Choices can appeal their allocation.
  2. Supporting documents must be uploaded to motivate and support your appeal application.
  3. Applicants forfeit their current allocation when applying for appeal.
  4. If your appeal is not approved, then applicants will be drawn into an unallocated pool.
    1. Applicants may be randomly re-allocated depending on availability of resources.
    2. Applicants may have to re-apply in the next following cycle.
    3. Only if posts become available due to applicants rejecting or not able to assume duty from 1 January 2024, those posts may be made available to applicants who could not be helped during the SWOP or appeal process.
  5. Appeal results will be released via SMS’s and emails only to applicants who applied for appeal.

Contact details

Help Desk – icsp@hai.co.za (Preferred method)
Website – www.health.gov.za/icsp

ICSP Help desk – (012) 346 0700

NDoH – (012) 395 8916 / (012) 395 8685 / (012) 395 8134

  • Every provincial department have a specific coordinator to assist with Internship and Community Services. Please find the contact details of all ICSP provincial coordinators here.
  • No applicants are allowed to walk in at the National Department of Health, only by appointments will be acceptable.