To this effect, Higher Education Institutions offering health-related programmes, stakeholders, parents, guardians, sponsors, students and the general public are hereby formally notified that the core function of recognising and approving health-related training programmes will no longer be the preserve of HPCZ but that of HEA.

Therefore, with immediate effect, all quality assurance matters relating to health-related training programmes, which had been under HPCZ, shall be handled by HEA.

However, HPCZ retains the core functions of registering of health practitioners and regulating their professional conduct, licensing of health facilities and accrediting of healthcare services, and approving of health-related training curriculum as a quality assurance mechanism as stipulated in the Health Professions Act No. 24 of 2009 of the Laws of Zambia.

Further, HPCZ will continue to approve the training curriculum of health-related programmes. The Higher Education (Amendment) Act in Part IVA Section 23 states that despite any other written law, the Authority shall, in consultation with relevant professional institutions, accredit learning programmes offered in a higher education institution, and, further in 23D (b), the Amendment Act states that the Authority shall accredit a learning programme of a higher education institution if the curriculum as approved by the professional institution is clearly defined and responds to the demands of the labour market.

Further, the two regulators shall continue with sustained and regular consultations and collaboration ensure that the training of health practitioners in the country is not compromised and that public health safety is ultimately guaranteed.

Signed and issued by

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The implication of the Amendment Act means that HEA now registers all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) except Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) colleges, and has accreditation oversight over all learning programmes in all HEIs except TEVET programmes.

Therefore, all health colleges and institutions under HPCZ, by Law, will have to move to HEA. Thus, the meetings HEA had with HPCZ, which culminated in a technical workshop held from 1^st – 3^rd November, 2021, resolved the modalities of the transition in order not to inconvenience the clients nor compromise on the quality during this transitional period.

The resolutions of the meetings, including how the transition will be handled, will be communicated in a joint statement by both institutions on 14^th November, 2021.

In giving remarks, HPCZ Registrar, Mr. Bwembya Bwalya, stated that HPCZ was looking forward to working with HEA in ensuring that quality assurance in health training institutions was maintained as this was paramount in health provision.

“We are one government and we are delighted that quality will still be maintained as there is still a body that will look at this quality,” Mr. Bwalya said.

The Amendment Act in Part IVA Section 23A states that despite any other written law, the Authority, shall, in consultation with relevant professional institutions, accredit learning programmes offered in a higher education institution, and, further, in 23D (b), the Amendment Act states that the Authority shall accredit a learning programme of a higher education institution if the curriculum as approved by the professional institution is clearly defined and responds to the demands of the labour market.

HEA and HPCZ had its initial meeting at HPCZ’s new corporate offices in Lusaka with both institutions’ management. This meeting led to a technical committee being constituted to resolve how the transition would proceed.

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