Sir, it would be appreciated if you could assist the South African Dental Association by publishing this letter for the information of dental practitioners working overseas.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the statutory body, recently published a press release announcing amnesty on restoration fees. What this means is that the HPCSA has agreed to a once-off waiver of penalties for those practitioners both local and abroad, who did not pay their annual registration fees timeously or who allowed their registration to lapse without informing the Council.

The amnesty period started on 1 February 2007 and will expire on 30 April 2007. It applies to those practitioners – in South Africa or overseas – whose registrations have lapsed and who have not practised for up to two years, as well as those practitioners who have been resident and practising in other countries.

This blanket waiver is aimed at encouraging health professionals, particularly those working abroad who have expressed a desire to return to South Africa but who have found the restoration penalties too high, to be restored to the register.

The only proviso is that practitioners who take advantage of this amnesty period will be required to render professional services to any public sector institution of their choice. They will be expected to work 100 hours in service to public health within six months of their restoration. This may include working in the public service or with health non-governmental organisations. They will be required to submit evidence of their public health service within six months, failing which they will need to pay full restoration fees applicable at that time.