The Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ) has given a three months ultimatum to all medical universities in the country in which to ensure that their students register.
The Health Professions Council of Zambia Senior Public Relations Manager Terry Musonda stated that the Council will not conduct any student registration after the 31st of March, 2023, stating that the Council will ensure that all the students are registered by the 31st March of every year.
Mr Musonda said that their focus is on upgrading and championing the training standards for all medical students.
“We are concerned and this concern should not just end in our offices that’s why we have stepped out of the office to come in the lecture rooms to talk to the students and orient them on what is expected of them while they are training, we want to be part of the baking process so that even as we bring in the issue of licensing them and giving them exams, we know that we have been part of the baking process, we expect them to be professional while they are here because if they are not conducting themselves well, these are the results we are seeing out there in the field, where its a case of garbage in, garbage out, ” he said
Speaking on the sidelines during an orientation at the Lusaka Environmental Health University (LEHU), where the Council conducted the first presentation this year with regard to the quality of training and professionalism which is expected from all medical students, Mr Musonda mentioned that the Council is focused on imparting professionalism to the health sector inclusivve of students, adding that health profession is very important, and it requires proper attention.
Mr Musonda has since appealed to the students who are pursuing health related programmes, to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, adding that a positive professional conduct starts from the training institution.
“We are out here as HPCZ to ensure that we supplement what the lecturers are talking about, sometimes issues of professionalism are taken lightly, and at the same time we expect that as students are embarking on a new programmes, they are supposed to conduct indexing, which is registration,” he said
He cited that after indexing or registration, students are issued with a student number as this help to identify students who are being legally trained, as the Council is under obligation to ensure that all the students are indexed, and the same Identity Cards and student numbers will be used during internship.
Meanwhile, Lusaka Environmental Health University (LEHU) Executive Chairman Jackie Phiri emphasized that the university will endeavour to train health students who will become professionals for the benefit of the public.
“It’s upon every individual who gets a calling in the health sector to, if we train students who will deliver to the benefit of the public, then we are going to have an improvement, for we know that as a training institution we can only do so much, but we will do our best because part of our emphasis is on quality.. communication, and trust, so we will ensure that we produce quality people who will be professional and execute their jobs professionally,” he said
Mr Phiri expressed gratitude to the Health Professions Council of Zambia for considering the Lusaka Environmental Health University as the first university to be trained this year in relation to the quality of training and professionalism which is expected from all medical students across the country.
“HPCZ conducting a training at LEHU is a privilege for us, as our students have recognised that they are privileged alot, and for us being a specialised university, we are going to ensure that our students are trained professionally,” Mr Phiri said
The health care in Zambia Isa’s reached the status of such countries as Nigeria. What counts now in Zambia is money. If one has money he or she can send the child to to medicine in one of the private universities. It is no longer motivation and intelligence that counts. As a result there are now too many doctors in the country. People who could not even pass their grade 12 examinations. In developed countries there are no such wild growth of universities. There are all under control of the government. The governments provides finances the students and safeguards the qualities. I studied at University of Zambia and then Ridgeway campus. Inwas poor. The government was the sponsor. You were called a doctor, because one deserved that.