Decision to allow CBU Medical school to continue operating opposed as case is referred to Attorney General
The Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia has opposed the decision by the Higher Education Authority to allow the Copperbelt University to continue running the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Dental Surgery Learning Programmes until further notice.
The Higher Education Authority has directed the Copperbelt University to continue running the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Dental Surgery Learning Programmes until further notice.
This comes barely three days after the Health Professions Council of Zambia banned the University from administering the three medical programmes at the institution following failure to meet the laid down standards.
But Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia President Jerome Kanyika says the training of quality health practitioners must be a priority for everyone.
Mr. Kanyika said in a statement that the one-year grace period given to the institution by the Authority is too long a period to allow training that does not reach the minimum standards to go on.
He said the Society supports the stance taken by Health Professions Council of Zambia to insist on institutions maintaining high standards without which guaranteeing safety from health care hazard will remain a pipe dream.
Mr. Kanyika has also advised the Higher Education Authority to engage the Health Professions Council of Zambia so as to harmonize on areas of similar mandate.
And the misunderstanding that has erupted between the Higher Education Authority and the Health Professions Council PF Zambia has now been referred to the Attorney General’s Chamber to interpret the law.
HPCZ Registrar and CEO Aaron Mujajati revealed in an interview that his organization has written to the Attorney General for guidance on the matter.
Dr Mujajati said he believes that HPCZ acted within the law when it suspended CBU from offering the three medical programmes for failing to comply with laid down procedures.
He said the HPCZ Act mandates the authority to carry out inspections and take remedial measures to safeguard the integrity of the medical profession.
“We have since written to the Attorney General for interpretation of the law because we know that the HPCZ Act particularly Part 4 of that Act read from Section 34, 35 and 36 gives us those powers clearly but we just need to have this debate closed by having the Attorney General interpret the two pieces of legislation for us,” Dr Mujajati said.
Yesterday, Higher Education Authority Director Professor Stephen Simukanga overruled the decision by Dr Mujajati to suspend CBU Medical School and directed that it continues offering the said programmes as it works on the issues that were raised by its experts who has visited the institution.
Source: Lusaka Times