The Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine

The Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM) is a statutory body established under The Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act, 1965 and Regulations of 1974, with adjustments made to reflect changes in 1995 and 2005. The Council reports to the minister of health who appoints its members.

According to Registrar Jean Morgan, the council acts as a regulatory board for 10 professions:

1. Medical laboratory technologists
2. Speech & language pathologists
3. Occupational therapists
4. Physiotherapists
5. Public/environmental health inspectors
6. Dietetic assistants
7. Nutrition assistants
8. Audiologists
9. Radiographers
10. Dietitians/nutritionists

The CPSM enforces the Act by ensuring:

• individuals trained in the professions regulated are duly qualified to be licensed to practise in Jamaica
• individuals who have trained overseas who wish to practise in Jamaica are duly registered.
• practising health-care professionals maintain proper standards of conduct.

Disciplinary actions

She said the council has the power to:

• Strike off health professionals from the Register in cases where they have not complied with the renewal of registration.
• Suspend any member found guilty of professional misconduct or a criminal offence.
• The council also has the authority to:
• mandate rehabilitative measures as a condition of the suspension, at the individual's expense.
• apply a late-fee charge where renewal of registration is not done within the prescribed period of April 1 to June 30 of the renewal year.
• impose sanctions in cases where persons who are not registered in a specific profession, practices that profession and uses the professional title without being registered by the council.

Major concerns

Morgan said there are two major concerns of the council:

1. The non-renewal of practice licences by health professionals.

"Persons failing to renew their practice licences annually and continue to practice, we use this medium to inform these persons that the council will utilise the legal process to ensure that they conform with the law," she said.

Renewal is required by April 1 of each year and is conducted until June 30.

2. Slow process to get changes to the act. Morgan said submissions pending are to add seven new professions and to make continuing medical educational requirement for regulated professions.

Email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com