AMCOA conference in Accra to tackle health worker migration, patient safety
The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council, Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala, says the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) will bring together medical regulators from across the continent in Accra for its 28th Annual Conference.
The Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) is convening a major conference in Accra from August 23 to 27, 2026, to address health worker migration, patient safety, and the regulation of healthcare professionals across Africa. The 28th AMCOA Annual Conference, themed "Regulation for Safer Communities Towards Universal Health Coverage," will convene medical regulators from across the continent at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra.
Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala, Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council, highlighted the growing issue of healthcare professionals moving across borders, emphasizing the need for stronger coordination among regulatory authorities. He explained that AMCOA comprises regulatory and professional bodies dedicated to ensuring healthcare professionals are properly trained, registered, licensed, and maintain required standards of practice.
Banyubala stressed that while healthcare professional mobility is not inherently problematic, regulatory systems must adapt to increasing mobility, ensuring safe, transparent, and managed movement. A key focus of the conference will be the African Healthcare Practitioner Regulatory Policy Outlook, which examines health workforce mobility and proposes strategies for African countries to align their regulatory systems to manage health worker migration.
Dr Banyubala linked healthcare regulation to the broader goal of universal health coverage, arguing that access to healthcare must be coupled with quality and patient safety. He emphasized that expanding access to healthcare without guaranteeing quality and safety could compromise the benefits of universal health coverage.
Ghana's approach to managing health worker migration, which involves collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was cited as an example of the importance of such partnerships. However, Banyubala stressed that protecting patients must remain the central focus of any policies governing health worker mobility.
The conference aims to provide a platform for African medical regulators to share ideas and strengthen regulatory approaches aimed at safeguarding patients while enabling safe and responsible healthcare professional mobility across the continent.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
