Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe

THE ROLE OF THE PRELIMINARY INQUIRIES COMMITTEE.

Our main mandate as MDPCZ is to ensure that patients receive quality medical care and that they are safe and protected. By adhering to the standards established in the Health Professions Act (Chapter 27:19) Council established the Preliminary Inquiries Committee through the Executive Committee which is  responsible for:

• adjudicating public complaints and concerns
• evaluating and communicating ethical issues
• maintaining good standards of practitioners conduct and performance

Where necessary Council has the authority to order penalty, reprimand the practitioner, impose conditions or limitations on a practitioners license to practice, suspend a practitioner or in extraordinary circumstances erase the practitioner from the register if it feels that patients’ safety is being compromised.

Your right as a patient.

Generally doctors treating patients are willing to address patients’ concerns directly. If you have a concern about your Doctor that involves his/her conduct, communication or treatment you should feel free to openly discuss these issues with him/her. However, if you fail to reach a consensus you may choose to file a complaint with the Council for further investigation.

In the same vein the PIC is working on a policy document on Doctor – Patient relationships which is a Code of Ethics that endeavors to articulate and promote a body of ethical principles to guide doctors’ conduct in their relationships with patients, colleagues and society.

NB. There is no specific time frame to file a complaint. However, it assists in the investigation process if your complaint is filed shortly after the alleged incident.

Please be also advised that to protect your privacy and ensure confidentiality, Council does not accept complaints by telephone.

The process of complaints investigation.

Council functions through committees and all complaints are first investigated by the Preliminary Inquiries Committee before being referred to the Executive Committee.

The investigation into your complaint is an unbiased process based on the doctor’s response to the complaint and a comprehensive review of medical records and other necessary documentation. Where necessary the complainant and the accused are both invited for interview. Every complaint is reviewed and assessed on its own merits by the Inquiries Committee. Council attempts to resolve most complaints in a corrective manner, seeking to understand the circumstances surrounding the event and how a similar incident can be avoided in future.

What the Council cannot do.

Council does not have the authority to:

• Provide financial compensation to complainants.
• Adjudicate complaints without offering the doctor the opportunity to respond.
• Cannot deal with complaints concerning nurses, pharmacists or any other health professional who is not registrable with MDPCZ.

SOURCES

www.cpsbc.ca; Complaints and concerns

www.hpcsa.co.za ; Professional Conduct and Ethics