Compulsory Community Service

The Compulsory Community Service program aims to provide accessible and affordable veterinary services throughout the country, especially in rural communities. The program will involve the deployment of newly qualified veterinarians across the entire country and will focus on disease prevention, rendering ambulatory services and providing education, especially regarding responsible pet ownership, resource utilization and optimising livestock production. This program will offer the newly qualified veterinarian the opportunity to render their much-needed service to rural areas and gain valuable experience and knowledge.

Veterinarians performing compulsory community service will not compete with the private sector, but will complement services delivered by all sectors in the veterinary fraternity. Clinical services rendered in respect of the compulsory community service program shall be aimed at, but not limited to, exposing and promoting access to clinical veterinary services among communities not currently aware of or making use of them.

Compulsory community service will be centrally funded by the DAFF, and CCS veterinarians will be the employees of DAFF. However, CCS veterinarians may be placed or seconded to any strategic partner, such as Animal Welfare organizations, private practitioners, and other veterinary community outreach service providers, in order to achieve the objectives of the program.