Ghana pushes stronger cross-border health regulation

Ghana is seeking enhanced collaboration among African health regulators to guarantee that healthcare professionals who practice across borders maintain their qualifications, licenses, and accountability towards their patients. Dr Divine Banyubala, the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana, shared this perspective in an interview with The Ghanaian Times prior to the 28th Annual Scientific Conference of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA), slated to address the theme: 'Responsive Regulation for Safer Communities Towards Universal Health Coverage.'

Dr Banyubala emphasized the growing need for health regulators to exchange information on practitioners due to the increasing movement of healthcare workers across African borders. He stressed the importance of verifying practitioners' qualifications, license statuses, and professional conduct before permitting them to practice in their respective countries.

The conference will delve into the proposed African Healthcare Regulatory Authorities Data Exchange Infrastructure, designed to facilitate secure verification of healthcare workers' credentials and professional standing during cross-border movements.

While recognizing the right of healthcare workers to seek employment opportunities in other nations, Dr Banyubala highlighted the challenge of ensuring safe, transparent, and well-managed professional mobility. The conference will also explore the influence of artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and digital health on healthcare regulation, as well as the impact of emergencies on registration and task-sharing of health workers.

Dr Banyubala stressed that inclusive regulation does not imply lowering standards but rather establishing a fair and transparent system for assessing competent professionals without imposing unnecessary barriers.