South African Medical Association (SAMA)

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) is the professional body representing medical practitioners across South Africa's public and private healthcare sectors, based in Erasmuskloof, Pretoria, where it advocates for doctors' professional interests and supports their ongoing development. SAMA is structured as a non-profit company and funds its bursary and scholarship programme through sponsorships and donations rather than membership fees alone. It supports pre-graduate medical students studying towards an MB ChB or equivalent qualification with a bursary of R20,000 a year paid directly toward tuition costs (the funding does not cover accommodation, books, or other living expenses), alongside separate scholarships for PhD and Research Master's students. Applicants are assessed first on academic merit, with preference given to South African citizens from historically disadvantaged backgrounds and to SAMA members, and awards are made for one year at a time, renewable for students who maintain strong results.

SAMA funds bursaries because growing and diversifying the medical profession serves both its members' long-term interests and South Africa's acute shortage of doctors, particularly from historically disadvantaged communities who remain under-represented in medicine; by helping capable students complete demanding, expensive medical degrees, SAMA is investing in the future size and representativeness of the profession it represents.

There is no work-back or service obligation attached to the SAMA bursary. SAMA is a professional association, not a healthcare employer, so recipients are not required to work for SAMA or any affiliated institution after qualifying — continued funding depends only on academic performance and reapplication each year.