Speaker calls for stronger parliamentary oversight of health regulators
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for stronger parliamentary oversight of health professional regulation across Africa to protect patients and ensure fairness in the health sector. He said African parliaments must move beyond passing laws to regularly assess whether health regulatory bodies had the powers, resources and systems required to protect … The post Speaker calls for stronger parliamentary oversight of health regulators appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
Black News 
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for stronger parliamentary oversight of health professional regulation across Africa to protect patients and ensure fairness in the health sector.
He said African parliaments must move beyond passing laws to regularly assess whether health regulatory bodies had the powers, resources and systems required to protect the public.
Mr Bagbin made the call at the closing ceremony of the 28th Annual International Conference of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) in Accra.
He also urged the Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to ensure that proposed amendments to Part Two of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857), and its draft legislative instrument were laid before Parliament this year.
He said the amendments were necessary to improve the work of health professional regulatory councils.
“I will put pressure on him. I will ensure that he brings it to Parliament. My committee is ready to handle it,” Mr Bagbin said.
He further urged the Health Minister to work closely with the Minister of Finance to secure additional funding for the health regulatory system.
Mr Bagbin called for the Internal Generated Fund of the regulatory councils to be uncapped and for funding for Phase Two of the councils’ Head Office Complex and Specialist Training Centre to be released to enable the project to be completed on schedule.
He said effective regulation required a balance between public protection, fair treatment of professionals and accountability by regulators.
“The public must be protected. A professional must be fairly treated. And the regulator must remain accountable for the exercise of public authority,” he said.
Mr Bagbin urged African parliaments to give health professional regulation greater attention, describing health as the first priority of individuals, communities and countries.
He said Parliament must regularly review health laws to determine whether they remained fit for purpose and whether patients were adequately protected.
He noted that African countries could no longer rely solely on isolated national responses because health professionals were increasingly mobile and regulatory challenges crossed borders.
Mr Bagbin also urged AMCOA to ensure that decisions and commitments made at its conferences translated into action.
He suggested that future conferences should first assess progress on commitments made at previous meetings before deciding on new themes.
“Ask first what became of the commitments we made in Accra. That is your first question,” he said.
The President of AMCOA, Prof. Joel Okullo, also urged member councils to move from discussions to implementation.
He said the conference had strengthened cooperation among regulators and highlighted the need for better alignment of standards, modern regulation, stronger public protection and greater investment in regulatory institutions.
Prof. Okullo said many regulatory bodies across Africa remained under-resourced, while some countries faced shortages of health professionals alongside unemployment among trained professionals.
He said political interference, rapid technological change and the increasing movement of health workers across borders were also creating new regulatory challenges.
“Therefore, the challenge now is not about more discussions; it is about implementation of what we have identified,” he said.
He urged each member council to take at least one practical commitment from the conference and implement it.
Prof. Okullo said the success of the meeting should be measured by the changes made after delegates returned to their countries, rather than by the number of presentations or resolutions adopted.
He said Africa needed strong regulatory institutions capable of sharing information, learning from one another and working together to protect patients.
The conference brought together health professional regulators, policymakers, experts and partners from across Africa to discuss responsive regulation, patient safety and universal health coverage.
The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana, Dr Divine Banyubala, commended the partners, speakers, sponsors and delegates for their contributions to the success of the conference.
He assured participants that the recommendations and commitments made during the conference would be followed up and implemented.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
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