The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is a

statutory regulator A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulati ...

of healthcare professions in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The council promotes healthcare, determines standards of education and training, and sets and maintains standards of ethical professional practice for professions incorporated by the Health Professions Act No. 56 of 1974.

History

The Health Professions Council of South Africa was established in 1974 under the Health Professions Act No. 56 of 1974. Regulation of medicine and allied professions in South Africa began in the 19th century, with the establishment of the Colonial Medical Council in the

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

in 1891. The

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

Medical Council was then established in 1896, followed by the Medical and Pharmacy Council of the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

in 1904 and the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

Medical Council in 1905. Following the formation of the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...

, the South African Medical and Dental Council (SAMDC) was formed in accordance with Act 13 of 1928 to fulfil the functions of the former provincial councils. Act 56 of 1974 replaced Act 13 of 1928, and the HPCSA as it exists currently was formed. The SAMDC continues as a separate legal entity.

Professions regulated by the HPCSA

The HPCSA regulates 12 categories of healthcare professionals. They are: All of these professions have at least one professional title that is protected by law, including those shown above. Anyone using these titles must be registered with the HPCSA. It is a criminal offence for someone to claim that they are registered with the HPCSA when they are not or to use a protected title that they are not entitled to use.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.hpcsa.co.za/ Medical and health organisations based in South Africa