Friday, March 29, 2024

ZMA calls for the establishment body to monitor private universities training doctors

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ZMA president Dr. Aaron Mujajati
ZMA president Dr. Aaron Mujajati

ZAMBIA Medical Association (ZMA) president Aaron Mujajati has called for the establishment of an independent regulatory body to monitor private universities that provide training of doctors.

Dr Mujajati is concerned that newly established universities that provide training for doctors are not monitored to ensure they produce quality graduates.

Speaking on the Sunday interview programme on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) television, Dr Mujajati expressed concern that there are no quality assurance examinations to ensure that the doctors graduating from newly established private universities are appropriately qualified.

“We have not yet started producing graduates from these private universities which are training doctors, but the problem is that we do not have gatekeepers to ensure that high standards are met.

“The issue about medical training as compared to these other professions is that we are dealing with life and once you make a mistake and it is lost, you cannot replace it,” Dr Mujajati said.

He said the medical profession is growing and is dynamic in terms of ethics, which Government might not have resources to monitor.

“In the past, doctors could not regulate themselves because they were few. At independence, we had few doctors and it was very difficult to allow for self-regulation.

“For the past five years, we have been pushing Government to allow doctors to regulate themselves,” he said.

Dr Mujajati said time has come for medical practitioners to regulate themselves.

13 COMMENTS

  1. Public education can not possibly cope with demand for quality education in the country. That is the reason why private education is justified and necessary. There is no need to place blind faith in public education. Many public institutions remain in a deplorable state. Government must stimulate and promote private investment in education. It does not matter whether that education is medical, legal, engineering, business, computer sciences, theology, etc. Any attempt to undermine educational development must be resisted. At recruitment time, then interviews and related professional exams can eliminate pretenders.

  2. Government should also regulate fees that are charged by private medical colleges as most are just bent on exploiting parents by overcharging on fees unreasonably

  3. Mujajati again speaking from a point of ignorance – even if few, Regulation is paramount!
    The Medical Council of Z ( or whatever it is now called!)is the body responsible!

    • You are the one talking from ignorance. Mujajati is talking about training. The body you are referring to regulates practice. Don’t rush to condemn when you are the one who is in fact displaying your ignorance.

  4. I do not want to point fingures, we know that there is a click that want to act as a cartel when it comes to medical Doctors graduating from private institution, just like in case of Nurses. Who told you that it is only government that has the genuine teaching staff. If you are not aware, it s these same lecturers from the government instituions that teach in the private institutions. If anything these staff members perform even better when they go to private institutions because the peck is very reasonable. If anything I would rather encourage PPP arrangement to become more in place rather than discouraging the private institutions from operating. Most of the research work in developed countries is actually florishing more in private institutions. NEVER LIVE IN THE PAST, Zambia is develo

  5. This guy is confused, the other day he was advocating for the introduction of condoms in prison and today he is against private institutions training doctors. We receive quack doctors from Congo yet this chap is not saying anything but he is quick to condemn doctors trained in private institutions even when these doctors are trained by the same lecturers from Ridgeway campus. Is he telling us now that lecturers from Ridgeway campus are incompetent?

  6. All programmes, not only medical or health ones, offered in tertiary institutions (Public and private) should be accredited by a higher education body. It is high time such a body was established if Zambia does not have one in place. There are just too many fake and mickey mouse colleges and universities in Zambia. The programmes in many of these institutions are way below par. This not to mention the low calibre of the staff. It is reported that some minister even graduated from one of these universities without doing the full load of the work.

    • The General Medical Council should be able to regulate the Universities(Medical schools).In the first place they were involved in the issuance of the licence.You would think that the GMC has a mandate to regulate Doctors and one would think the smart way is also to regulate the Medical schools and their products because these are the same products the GMC will be dealing with hence in the baking of these products the GMC should be fully onboard

  7. Dr Mujajati is right in saying that medical education, just like all other professions, should be regulated both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. However, the regulation should be for all institutions, public or private. The problem Zambia faces is the lack of adequately trained professionals to agitate, provide the vision and undertake the creation of such institutions. Most institutions in the country are politically driven. If the country needs to move beyond the mediocrity existing now, put in place the new constitution and allow dual citizenship. Zambians with vast experience and properly educated are there to drive the standards up. Private education can be a bonus, if developed well with needed checks and balances.

  8. I wish to support Dr. Mujajati on his stance concerning medical doctors graduating from private universities. The medical council of Zambia has been so relactant to fully monitor and regulate the training system of medical students in private universities. There is lack of proper monitoring and sqrutinisation and we end up receving a crop of half -baked doctors that cannot fully excute their duties as doctors. There is need for gvt to come up with the board that shall regulate the training and screening of these doctors. I hope this issue we be followed up by the relevant authorities.

  9. This Dr Mujajati will make more sense if he is talking about the admission requirements to these private universities. While UNZA is maintaining the standard of strong A-levls/Science pass grades for one to be admitted in school of medicine, these institutions jump this important criterion. The ZMC should do a “mop out” to check on proper admissions particularly in Cavendish.

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