The Council guides and regulates the health professions in the country in aspects pertaining

to registration, education and training, professional conduct and ethical behaviour, ensuring
continuing professional development, and fostering compliance with healthcare standards. All
individuals who practise any of the health care professions incorporated in the scope of the HPCSA are
obliged by the Health Professions Act No. 56 of 1974 to register with the Council. Failure to do so
constitutes a criminal offence.
Registration with HPCSA offers the health care practitioner,
benefits such as:

Conferral of professional status to the practitioner, inclusive of the right to practise the
profession that he/she is qualified for,

The assurance that no unqualified person may practise these professions, and

Credibility as a competent practitioner who may command a reward for his/her services.

In short, if you want better pathology, you need better people and better rules

What is the Health Professions Council:

The HPCSA is a statutory body, which is guided by a formal regulatory framework and this includes our
founding Act, the Health Professions Act 56 of 1974. This Act governs all our activities, clearly
defines the scope of each profession which it mandates to register with HPCSA, and sets clear
processes to be followed by HPCSA in achieving our statutory mandate.
We regulate health professionals in South Africa and we are set up to protect the public. We only
register professionals who meet our standards for their training, professional skills and behaviour. We
thus have the power to institute disciplinary proceedings regarding any complaint, charge or allegation
of unprofessional conduct against any person registered with Council. If a registered practitioner
transgresses the rules as laid down by the Board, the practitioner will be subjected to a disciplinary
process in terms of the regulations. We can also prosecute those who pretend to be registered.

To protect the public, we:

set standards for registrants' education and training, professional skills, conduct,
performance and ethics;

keep a register of professionals who meet those standards;

approve programmes which professionals must complete to register with us; and

take action when professionals on our Register do not meet our standards.
This means that professionals registered with us are sincere and meet national standards. This offers
you protection if professionals fail to meet these standards. You can also check with us that a
professional is registered

The complaints process

Within seven (7) days of receiving your complaint, the Registrar forwards your complaint to
the healthcare professional concerned and requests a written explanation from him/her. (Note
that the healthcare professional may refuse or be advised not to provide an explanation, as
an explanation may be used as evidence later.)

Your letter of complaint together with the healthcare professionals explanation (if submitted)
is referred to the Professional Board concerned for consideration.
Should the Board decide that there are grounds for complaint, a Professional Conduct
Committee will hold a professional conduct enquiry, during which oral evidence is presented,
often including independent, expert witnesses. (Note: Professional conduct enquiries are
open to the public and the media, unless closed at the discretion of the chairperson.)
Should the professional conduct enquiry find the healthcare professional guilty of misconduct,
the committees decision is final, unless either party lodges an appeal.
A healthcare professional found guilty of professional misconduct may be subject to the
following penalties:
A caution or a reprimand or both;
A fine;
Suspension for a specified period from practising his/her profession;
Removal of his/her name from the relevant register;
A compulsory period of professional service; or
Payment of the costs of the proceedings.