Medical Rehabilitation

Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe

 Lecture Structure
• Background
• Roles
• Constitution
• Pertinent regulations
 MRCPZ
• Medical Rehabilitation Council of Zimbabwe
established by section fifty-seven;
• The Council shall represent the persons
registered in any profession or calling in the
following list
Medical rehabilitation practitioners
• Audiologist
• Biokineticists
• Chiropodists
• Occupational Therapists
• Orthopaedic Technologists and technicians
• Physiotherapists
• Rehabilitation technicians
• Speech Therapists
 Functions and powers of Council
a. To assist in the promotion of the health of the population of
Zimbabwe;
b. To regulate, control and supervise all matters affecting the training of
persons in, and the manner of the exercise of, the professions and
callings specified in Part VI of the First Schedule;
c. To promote liaison in the field of training referred to in paragraph (b),
both in Zimbabwe and elsewhere, and
to monitor, enforce and improve the standards of such training in
Zimbabwe; and
d. To advise the Minister on any matter affecting any profession or calling
specified in Part VI of the First
Schedule; and
 Functions and powers of Council
(e) To communicate to the Minister information on
matters of public importance acquired by the Council
in the
performance of its functions under this Act; and
(f) To consider and determine applications for the
registration of persons in the professions and callings
specified in Part VI of the First Schedule, subject to
such conditions, whether as to qualifications or
otherwise, as may be prescribed by the Council; and
(g)
 Functions and powers of Council
• To establish and maintain one or more
registers in terms of Part XV for the
registration of persons in the
professions and callings specified in Part VI of
the First Schedule; and
(h) To issue practising certificates to registered
persons and to cancel or suspend such
certificates in terms of this
Act; and
 Functions and powers of Council
• (i) to define and enforce ethical practice and discipline
among medical rehabilitation practitioners; and
• (j) to encourage co-operation between the Council and
other councils established under this Act; and
• (k) to take such steps as appear to the Council to be
necessary or desirable to advance the standing and
effectiveness of medical rehabilitation practitioners in
Zimbabwe; and
• (l) to present the views of medical rehabilitation
practitioners on national, regional and international
issues; and
 Functions and powers of Council
• (m) to evaluate and monitor the standards of
qualifying examinations, courses and training for
medical rehabilitation practitioners; and
• (n) to evaluate any examinations, training courses
and qualifications of foreign institutions for the
purposes of the registration of medical
rehabilitation practitioners; and
• (o) to perform any other function that may be
conferred or imposed upon the Council by or in
terms of this Act or any other enactment
 Functions and powers of Council
• For the better exercise of its functions, the
Council shall have power to do or cause to be
done all or any of the things specified in the
Second Schedule, either absolutely or
conditionally and either solely or jointly with
others.
 Membership of Council
• The Council shall consist of seven members of whom—
(a) two shall be appointed by the Minister; and
(b) five shall be elected by medical rehabilitation
practitioners in the manner prescribed by the Council.
• If medical rehabilitation practitioners refuse or fail for any
reason to elect all or any of the members referred to in
the following section, the Minister may appoint any
qualified person to serve on the Council in the place of
any such member, and a person so appointed shall hold
office in all respects as if he had been elected in terms of
this section.
 Membership of Council
(a) one shall be a registered physiotherapist; and
(b) one shall be a registered occupational
therapist; and
(c) one shall be a registered speech therapist; and
(d) one shall be a registered prosthetist, orthotist
or podiatrist; and
(e) one shall be a registered rehabilitation
technician or a registered orthopaedic technician.
 Council 2020-2025
• Mr C. Nhunzvi – OT & Chairperson
• Mrs D. Mudariki – PT &Vice Chairperson and
BnF Chairperson
• Miss S. Aufe – Audiologist and Speech Therapist
• Mr Gwanyamwanya – RT and Education Chair
• Mr Jemwa – Orthopaedic Technologist
• Dr T. Mlambo - Ministerial Appointee
• Dr. Mashiri – Ministerial Appointee
 Committees of councils
• Executive committee
• Practice control
• Disciplinary committee
• Business and Finance committee
• Education Liaison committee
 Executive commitee
• For the better exercise of its functions, every council
shall establish an executive committee, the function of
which shall be to exercise the council’s functions
between council meetings:
• Provided that—
1. except in so far as the council otherwise directs, an
executive committee shall not have power to set aside
or vary any decision of the council;
2. any action taken by an executive committee shall be
reviewed by the council at its next meeting after the
action is taken;
 Practice control committee
• A council’s practice control committee shall consist of—
(a) the chairman of the council, who shall be chairman of the
committee; and
(b) at least eight persons appointed by the council, of whom
—
(i) the majority shall be members of the council; and
(ii) at least three shall be members of the Health Service
designated by the Secretary of the Ministry responsible for
health; and
(iii) one shall be a registered legal practitioner of at least five
years’ standing
 Disciplinary committee
• A council’s disciplinary committee shall consist of—
(a) the chairman of the council, who shall be chairman of the committee:
• Provided that, if in any particular case the chairman of the council
considers that he should not be chairman of the committee, he shall
appoint another member of the council to be the chairman for
thatparticular case; and
(b) not less than two and not more than four other persons who shall be—
(i) specially appointed to the committee for the particular inquiry by the
chairman of the council in consultation with the council’s executive
committee; and
(ii) either members of the council concerned or registered on the same
register as the person in respect of whom the inquiry is to be held: Provided
that at least one of the persons so appointed shall be registered on the
same register as the person in respect of whom the inquiry is to be held.
 Education committee
• On the establishment of an education committee in terms of paragraph (d) of subsection (1)
of section sixtyseven, a council—
(a) shall appoint to that committee at least one member of the council, who shall be the
chairman of the committee; and
(b) may appoint to that committee persons who are not members of the council.
• Subject to any general directions given to it by the council concerned, the functions of an
education
• committee shall be
(a) to supervise the education and training of such classes of health practitioners as the council
may specify
(b) to advise the council on any matter concerning the education or training of the classes of
health practitioners referred to in paragraph (a); and
(c) to satisfy itself and the council that in every teaching institution the curricula for the
education and training of the classes of health practitioners referred to in paragraph (a) are such
that graduates will have sufficient basic knowledge to practise their profession or calling;
(d) to satisfy itself and the council that the education and training given to persons training to
become health practitioners of the classes referred to in paragraph (a), and the facilities provided
to enable them to gain experience in their profession or calling, are appropriate and adequate;
and
(e) to perform such other functions relating to the education and training of the classes of health
practitioners referred to in paragraph (a) as may be vested in the committee by the council.
 Business and Finance committee
• Committee shall be established in terms of
Section 67.1.(e) of the Health Professions Act
• The Business and Finance Committee shall
be composed of a Council member who shall
serve as its chairperson, and one member
nominated by each of the various professional
associations representing professionals that
fall under the Council as prescribed by the
Act.
 Audit committee
• Committee shall be established in terms of
Section 67.1(e) of the Health Professions Act.
• The Audit Committee shall be composed of a
Council member who shall serve as its
chairperson, and one member nominated by
each of the various professional associations
representing professionals that fall under the
Council as prescribed by the Act
 Subscription fees
• These are paid quarterly
• Occupational therapist public- $375
• Physiotherapist public- $375
• Speech Therapist/ Audiologist - $375
• Occupational Therapist private- $984
• Physiotherapist- $984
• Speech Therapist/ Audiologist- $984
• Audiology, OT, PT & ST students- $156
• Registration new graduates- $204