The Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists’ Council of Zimbabwe (MLCSCZ) has expressed fears that a new diploma programme being introduced by the Zimbabwe College of Pathologists (ZCP) could result in less qualified people being accredited as medical laboratory scientists, thereby, compromising health delivery standards.
By Everson Mushava
Medical laboratory scientists provide information necessary for disease diagnosis and monitoring to guide doctors.
Students are expected to undergo a three-week training programme at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals at a cost of $400 per module.
A series of letters exchanged between the MLCSCZ and the ZCP shows that the regulatory body had refused to recognise the qualification until certain issues were addressed.
The programme is spearheaded by Hilda Matarira and Chitungwiza Central Hospital chief executive officer, Obadiah Moyo, who sits in both the regulatory council and the training institute’s board.
On January 24, 2017, MLCSCZ wrote to Moyo, cautioning the ZCP against initiating the training programme without the authority of the council, which is the custodian of Statutory Instrument 179 of 1997 and 178 of 2001.
The letter claimed the Health Services Board, as a way of cleaning up the medical laboratories profession, requested that the programme be discontinued.
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It said the council had set a degree as a minimum qualification for a medical laboratory scientist, except for those, who got their diplomas before the introduction of university degrees.
“It is against this background that the chairman of the council’s office is, hereby, advising you that the Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists’ Council has disbanded the training in question forthwith,” council chairperson, Rangarirai Mubvumbi said in a letter to Moyo.
The letter was copied to Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa, permanent secretary, Gerald Gwinji and a D Mangwanya, a principal director in the ministry.
The council demanded that Moyo should justify the programme that had been initiated against the advice of the regulatory authority.
The Zimbabwe Association of Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists, in a letter dated January 11 this year, also demanded an explanation from the council on why they would allow the training programme, when university graduates were unemployed.
However, Mangwanya later wrote to ZCP on February 10, saying he had no problem with the diploma programme to upgrade technicians.
“In view of the above, the ministry also fully supports the commencement of the upgrading course run by the Zimbabwe College of Pathologists and candidates qualifying from the course are registered with the MLCSCZ,” part of Mangwanya’s letter read, which curiously was not copied to Parirenyatwa and Gwinji.
But the regulatory council maintained its position in a letter dated March 23 to Matarira.
“In our letter to the Zimbabwe College of Pathologists dated January 24, council’s position was made known to the training institution and other stakeholders. The ZCP chose to ignore the position and have instead decided to commerce the training on April 24 2017,” the council’s letter read.
“In the event that the institution ignores council’s directive, the MLSCZ, hereby, advises your office that this council will not participate in the examination processes [and neither] will it register the graduates on the ‘Medical Laboratory Scientists-General Register’ kept by this office.”
According to the letter, the training of medical scientists by the ZCP, formerly the Zimbabwe Institute of Medical Scientists, had been authorised by a statutory instrument in 1997, but was overturned by the council in later years, according to section 5 of Statutory Instrument 178, which gave the regulatory authority powers to discontinue any training programme.
Moyo refused to comment on the matter, referring all questions to Matarira.
Contacted for comment, Matarira said: “Those letters have been overtaken by events. I will respond to your email.”
Parirenyatwa said his ministry would only intervene if there was a deadlock.
“I understand that the council is saying no, you cannot train, and the ZCP is saying we can train. I understand the two are negotiating and we urge them to solve the dispute in the interests of the country. As a ministry, we will only intervene if there is a deadlock,” he said.
MLCSCZ registrar, Agnes Chigora said the council, in accordance with provisions of section 71 of the Health Professions Act, Chapter 27:19, had requested the ZCP to submit documents for consideration by the relevant committee.
“As we write, council is considering two more applications from other training institutions that had shown interest in training cadres, who at the end of their training are registrable on registers kept at the council offices,” she said.
A medical scientist and member of the regulatory body, Rabelani Kaela, said the worldwide standard for training of scientists was a university degree and the diploma programme would threaten the professional standards of medical laboratory scientists.
“Anything less than that will compromise the standard of healthcare,” he said.
