Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
THE Allied Health Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe deregistered more than 70 practitioners last year as part of efforts to protect the public and maintain high standards in the healthcare industry.
The council’s registra Ms Farirai Maziriri revealed that the deregistrations were due to practitioners failing to meet minimum set standards and engaging in misconduct, emphasizing the importance of ensuring health practitioners are licenced to practice.
“So in 2024, we had more than 70 practitioners that we deregistered from our registers, from the different professions, since we regulate 20 health professions in Zimbabwe, and some of the reasons is that they failed to meet the minimum set standards at a certain given time. So automatically they are deregistered because renewal is an annual thing and they’re supposed to renew annually. As you know, we are there to protect the public of Zimbabwe. So we make sure that if the practitioner is in good standing with the council, do they meet the minimum requirements? This could be your continuous professional development and so many things. Another reason, again, was misconduct. Practitioners purporting to be what they’re not out there. You purport to be a psychologist, you purport to be an ambulance technician, you purport to be a radiographer, yet you are not,” she said.
The Council also implored parents to conduct due diligence when selecting universities or colleges for their children to study health-related programmes.
“Due diligence is a must for all parents. Ensure that you’ve done due diligence on all the universities, colleges and different institutions. Is the program accredited by the professional board or by the regulatory council? Such that when they complete their training, they can be recognized as fully certified health practitioners. You might want to, but that program might not be registered. So it’s important that as parents, we conduct this due diligence exercise. This applies to international universities or international colleges,” said Ms Maziriri.
“Make sure that they are accredited by the regulatory council or regulatory board. Such that when they complete their programs, when they come back to Zimbabwe, if they intend to practice locally, they will be accepted. I know we have different minimum requirements. Where someone can go for one year of professional examination or scrutiny, internship, etc. Some universities or some colleges out there might be difficult for these students, even when they come back to go under internship. So it’s also important for parents to carry out due diligence for international colleges, international universities, such that when these students complete their four years or five years, they will be absorbed by the local system,” she added.
The deregistration of health practitioners is a significant step continuously taken by the council towards maintaining the integrity of the healthcare industry in Zimbabwe.
Some of the professions regulated by the council include clinical social workers, counsellors, dieticians, psychologists, radiographers and health food services supervisors, among others.
