The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) hereby notify all stakeholders that the revised Ethical rule 18 regarding the employment and appointment of practitioners by unregistered corporate entities have been gazetted. Rule 18 requires that a practitioner only accepts employment from an unregistered corporate entity (such as a private company or school) if that employer has been formally approved by the HPCSA.
Rule 18 is designed to ensure that the employment or appointment of practitioners is conducted in the best interest of the public and the profession. To uphold the purpose of Rule 18 and ensure that practitioners maintain their professional autonomy and clinical independence in a conducive ethical environment, the Council has resolved to grant a grace period for compliance to all practitioners. All practitioners who have been appointed must ensure that they comply to the above rule by 31 May 2027.
Note that Rule 18 is not applicable to practitioners employed in the state facilities and to those employed by the fellow registered practitioners. Non-compliance beyond this date will be managed as an ethical and professional transgression of Rule 18.
Application Requirements
In considering these applications, the criteria set out in paragraph 2.5 of the Policy on Business Practices are applicable; and the motivation should address these criteria. A motivation together with a copy of the proposed contract of employment and any other documents to support the motivation should be submitted to the HPCSA through the online portal for consideration. The application must be clear on the specific profession/s the applicant is seeking approval on as the relevant Boards must be consulted separately before Council can consider the application.
The submission process by Employers
The motivation should address the criteria on par 2.5 of the Business Practice Policy of the HPCSA.
All processes are accessed on the HPCSA’s online services portal, after an employer profile has been created for the applicant or their representative. For an employer profile to be created, provide company details (name, physical address, telephone number, email); and the details (full names, email, phone number) of the individual who should be granted access to the system via email to professionalpractice@hpcsa.co.za. An employer profile will then be created within 3 working days (Note: a self-created profile does not give access to this functionality). The individual granted permission to access the system will receive an auto generated email to reset their password and set up their log in details. After accessing the portal using the employer profile created, they should select Rule 18 process as shown below and follow the prompts. The User Manual below provides step-by-step guidance on page 4-11.
HPCSA Rule 18 User Manual
Click here to view the User Manual for step-by-step guidance on how to submit applications for Rule 18; and submit related annual reports .
Last Updated on 20 April 2026 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs