By Michael Gwarisa
The Health Professions Authority Zimbabwe (HPA), Medicines Control Authority Zimbabwe (MCAZ) working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) will soon be conducting raids at premises of Network Marketing companies involved in offering magnetic resonance services, a service popularly called “full body scan.”
MCAZ and HPA in a joint statement urged members of the public to shun the Free Body Scan services saying it poses a serious risk of misdiagnosis and mistreatment to the public.
In conjunction with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the two Authorities will be undertaking investigations and confiscating all such offensive equipment as well as prosecuting the persons operating the said machines illegally. At the same time, the medicines will be confiscated (both registered and unregistered) from unlicensed persons and unlicensed premises,” reads the statement.
They added that the sprouting of unauthorized use of dubious magnetic resonance machines was also being used by unqualified and unauthorized personnel who then proceed to prescribe and sell medicines (both conventional and complementary) for chronic conditions to the unsuspecting public.
“These acts are in contravention of several statutes. The Health Professions Act (Chapter 27:19) Section 126, stipulates that anyone who is not registered on the designated register who: for gain practices a profession or calling, pretends by any means whatsoever to be on the register or uses any name, title, description or symbol indicating or calculated to lead persons to infer that he is a member of a rofession or calling of which a designated register is kept, shall be guilty of an offence liable to a fine or imprisonment or both”
The two authorities further noted that the diagnosis and prescribing should only be conducted by qualified and licensed personnel. Selling medicines by unlicensed persons from unlicensed premises contravenes Sections 50 and 52 of the Medicines and Allied Substance Control (General) Regulations, 1991, SI 150 of 1991 as read with Section 106 of the same Regulations. Also, the selling of unregistered medicines is in contravention of Section 29 (1) (a) of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act as read with Section 29 (1a) of the same Act.
Mandated to safeguard the public, HPA and MCAZ urge the public to seek medical advice and treatment only from registered health professionals and institutions. These can be identified by the possession of a valid practicing certificate from the practitioner’s respective Council, a licence issued by HPA for registration of premises, and an MCAZ licence for both person and premises. It is an offence for an unlicensed individual to diagnose, treat, and sell medicines to the public.
