The Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ) has revealed that the entity does not have the capacity to close Government health facilities because they have immunity despite their potential shortcomings.
While the HPCZ recently closed 10 private health facilities in Southern, Central, and Lusaka for non-compliance with annual license renewal, this action does not extend to Government health facilities.
Professor Goma emphasized that even if Government facilities breach standards, they are given the opportunity to make amends, especially considering that the Ministry of Health is committed to rectifying deficiencies.
Responding to a ZBT question as to why Government facilities remain untouched despite the foreseeable anomalies, Professor Goma echoed in an exclusive interview that the facilities have an immunity because they cutter for a wide range of services which cutter for a large populace.
“Even if the Government facility breach one of those many standards, we give them room to make amends, especially that the Ministry of Health will always prove that they are making efforts to rectify whatever is deficient in a particular institution, while as for the private they do not have such a mechanism, so when they breach we can actually close, they have private ownership which has shorter mechanisms of making decisions,” he said.
Meanwhile Professor Goma mentioned that three out of the 10 institutions that where closed, have been reopened after adhering to the stipulated procedures.
