The Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ) has announced the suspension of the October-November 2024 Professional Licensure Examinations (LEX) following a court ruling on September 4, 2024.
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Fastone Goma told ZANIS in a statement that the Kitwe High Court granted an injunction in a case involving Makunko Nsalange and 13 other medical graduates.
Prof Goma said the plaintiffs challenged HPCZ’s authority to administer the LEX after issues arose from the transposition of February-March 2024 LEX results.
“The court’s decision directs us not to proceed with the upcoming examinations,” Prof. Goma stated.
He added that the process for LEX applications has also been halted, and applicants will be guided on how to address any payments made.
This suspension impacts fresh medical graduates awaiting registration to practice in Zambia.
“We understand the inconvenience this may cause and are committed to resolving the matter as quickly as possible,” Prof. Goma said.
He said the HPCZ remains dedicated to upholding quality assurance processes as entrusted by the Ministry of Health and will provide further updates as the situation develops.
LT please tell us what led to the injunction.
They cant even elaborate on the issues that “arose from the transposition of February-March 2024” results. Do they expect us to know things without providing required background?
Graduates will remain on hold until……..?
LT how come you have a strange way of reporting news?
There is no law that mandates the HPCZ to hold examinations. The medical schools under the Higher Education accreditation institutions should be the ones responsible for quality control.
If HPCZ feels that the quality of the graduates is below par, they should apply to politicians to give them the quash the legitimacy of and sanction certain training institutions. In many countries, it is only FOREIGN graduates who are subjected to such because the licencing authority does not have jurisdiction over the medical schools.
you are very right.
In fact it’s the local universities that produce half baked graduates so they need to go through these exams. Foreign trained graduates have genuine degrees so they are more trusted.
This is not exactly true
When Zambia only had government graduates, there was no need for HPCZ. This body came in to bridge the gap between foreign and local unregulated institutions. Thus, if I am a pharmacy graduate from the Ridgeway, all I need to practice is to firstly belong to Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia, PSZ. Nothing more.
Besides HPCZ is mostly fraught with perpetual examination malpractices
What is sad is that, there is Malpractice at HPCZ.
Guys we all know that Zambia is a corrupt country. These exams are not exempt from corruption scandals that have bugged Zambia Examination Council, Zambia Police, University lecturers with student girlfriends and so on. Any political leader that wants to be seen must start by telling us how he will tackle our rotten society’s corruption. Lungu and HH have failed and they say NOTHING about this courge perhaps because they are heavily involved