The Tribune

The appointed members of the Health Professions Council (HPC) brought their working year to a celebratory close with their final meeting followed by dinner at Sapodilla Restaurant.

The group convened in August to continue the work of this statutory body whose mission is “to govern the professional conduct of certain health professionals and to protect the welfare and interest of these professionals as well as the public who makes use of their services.”

The HPC was established by the Health Professions Act in 1998 and became operational on May 1, 2000. The HPC is presently responsible for the following health professions: acupuncture therapy, audiology and speech language pathology, chiropody and podiatry, chiropractic, clinical psychology, dietetics and nutrition, emergency services technology, medical laboratory technology, occupational therapy, optometry and opticianary, physiotherapy and respiratory therapy, and radiography.

Reappointed Chairman Dr Charles Diggiss stated at the first meeting: “I am honoured to continue with the important work of this council. Since its inception, the HPC has demonstrated its commitment to carry out its mandate. We wish to ensure that professionals are held to the highest standards so that the public is adequately protected, especially in light of the stated imminent introduction of National Health Insurance (NHI).

“We are also very excited about the positive developments of our plan that we began over the last year for greater oversight of training institutions offering allied health programmes. Additionally, as the Act also makes ‘provisions for the inclusion of other health professionals whenever necessary at a later date’, we have produced a listing of thirty additional professions for consideration, and we look forward to receiving needed assistance from persons in these fields.”

HPC Registrar Bernadette Ellis, who has held the position since December, 2001, added: “We invite the allied health professionals, members of the public who utilise their services, and particularly students contemplating entering the health care professions, to assist us by becoming compliant on a timely basis, visiting our website, and contacting us should they have any queries or need relevant information.”

• The HPC is located in the Jonathan Forbes Building on Delancey Street, opposite Ministry of Health. They can be contacted at PO Box  N-7528, by phone at 326-7740 or 326-0566 or fax at 326-0537, e-mail at hpa1998_chmn@yahoo.com or through their website, facebook or Linkedin pages.