Registration of health professionals follow provisions of the Botswana Health Professions Act, 2001, which is overseen by the Botswana Health Professions Council (BHPC).
In response to a parliamentary question on Wednesday, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said the act empowered the health and wellness minister to amend Schedule B of the professions to include or remove professions that must be registered under such law.
He stated that environmental health, among several other professions, was added into Schedule B, by Statutory Instrument 91 of 2017. He explained that following the inclusion of environmental health and several other professions in 2017, as regulated health professions, consultation was made with key stakeholders including sending of public notices announcing the additional professions.
“BHPC went on to form structures that are necessary to facilitate registration of the professionals.
To that effect all professions under Schedule B are currently registered.
In the case of environmental health, there is an environmental health professional board as an organ of the BHPC, facilitating registration of this cadre,” he added.
Dr Dikoloti said any professional who practised without registration committed an offence.
“In addition, anybody who employs a non-registered professional also commits an offence.
One of the ways through which ministries and employers have complied with the law has been by demanding registration certificates from employees, before employment.
My assumption is that the directive from the PSP was emphasising such compliance,” he said. Further, he highlighted that environmental health officers were obligated by law to register with the BHPC to practise in Botswana.
Conversely, Dr Dikoloti acknowledged that non-registered professionals who carried out duties of registered professionals compromised the integrity of the profession.
“I am aware that issues of non-registration have come to my ministry’s attention before and I have engaged the BHPC before in relation to enforcement of the law, including the carrying out of disciplinary measures.
One of the issues that came out was resources limitation. I pledge that my ministry will empower the council with necessary resources such that they fulfil their mandate including in public education and attending disciplinary issues such as non-registration,” Dr Dikoloti said.
Mr Reatile had asked the minister if he was aware that environmental health officers were still practicing without the required registration almost four years after the issuance of a directive by the Permanent Secretary to the President instructing all cadres with professional bodies to have valid registration certificates as a prerequisite for practicing.
He wanted to know why such officers had not complied with directive. He further wanted to know if lack of registration had not impacted negatively on the integrity of the service provided by the cadre. ENDS
Source : BOPA
