Senate Approves Amendments to Medical Act

A Bill to amend the Medical Act was approved by the Senate at its sitting on Thursday (Dec. 2).
Leader of Government Business, Senator Burchell Whiteman, who piloted the legislation, explained that the move was to keep the profession on par with international practices.
He said the Bill reflected the concerns of the medical fraternity and the Health Ministry, “to ensure that with the emergence of new technologies and new practices, medical personnel were kept abreast not only by virtue of their own professional interests and integrity but by virtue of the structure within which they operated.”
Among the conditions to be included as a requirement for certification is continuing medical education.The Bill also seeks to alter the constitution of the Medical Council, to boost the membership of the Council to 15 and increase the non-medical members from one to three.
Minister Whiteman said the legislative changes were part of the move being made by many professional bodies to ensure that they remained in touch with those whom they served and others who are not members of their profession.