HEA and HPCZ Set to Finalise MoU before End of 2023

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) continued its series of consultative meetings with the Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ) in order to continue fostering a healthy relationship in ensuring quality delivery of health learning programmes by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

HEA and HPCZ began these series of meetings in 2021 following the assenting of the Higher Education (Amendment) Act, 2021, which brought all HEIs, including those offering health learning programmes that were previous regulated by the Council, under the purview of the Authority. The latest iteration of these meetings took place on 3rd November, 2023, in HPCZ’s Boardroom in Lusaka.

The meeting made it a priority to finalise the development of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two regulators in order to formalise their working relationship. Thus, the MoU would state how HEA and HPCZ would collaborate in the regulation of HEIs offering health learning programmes. A firm deadline of end of 2023 was set to finalise this process.

Furthermore, the meeting had a wide-ranging agenda and concluded by constituting a Technical Committee of HEA and HPCZ Management that will iron out any outstanding matters that cause ambiguity among stakeholders and HEIs offering health learning programmes. The Technical Committee will be chaired by Dr. Muhumpu Kafwamfwa, the Council’s Deputy Registrar – Technical Services.

The working relationship of the two regulators has developed into a strong partnership that has placed the quality provision of health learning programmes as paramount.