Health
Messages from the TCI Health Professionals Authority
Turks and Caicos, September 21, 2024 – The Health Professions (Amendment) Ordinance and Regulations 2024 was passed in the House of Assembly on 25 July 2024, assented to by Her Excellency, the Governor, and came into force on 16 August 2024.
This updated Ordinance and Regulations brings changes to the operations of the Health Professions Councils and registration and licensing requirements:
- The Medicine and Dentistry Professions Council shall be expanded to include the Chief Veterinarian and an additional member from the medical profession. The Council has been renamed the Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Professions Council.
- Registration categories have been updated to:
- a)Unrestricted list divided into two categories:
- Full registration – resident health professionals
- Full registration – temporary or visiting health professionals, which shall apply to a health professional who intends to work in the Islands temporarily, but on frequent visits in any given year.
(b) Provisional list divided into two categories:
- Provisional list-interns,
- Provisional list-temporary or visiting health professionals, which shall apply to a health professional who intends to work in the
- Nursing and Midwifery:
Responsibilities of the Nursing and Midwifery Professions Council have been expanded to include:
(a) the power to control the training and administer examinations of nursing professionals including, nurses, midwives, assistant nurses and nursing students
(b) to approve the basic registered nursing curriculum offered by a tertiary institution in the Islands
(c) to enter into an agreement with a tertiary institution in the Islands to administer the examinations.
- Investigations and Compliance Officer
(a) A compliance officer under the Authority shall have the power to investigate and monitor health professionals to ensure compliance under this Ordinance, to assist a council and generally for the furtherance of the functions of compliance, monitoring and enforcement
(b) A compliance officer shall have the power to enter premises where a health professional works or is purported to work in order to ascertain whether a health professional is complying with the conditions of this Ordinance
- Verification for Medical Doctor who uses the Migrant Health Portal
(a) The Authority shall verify the qualifications, registration and licensing status and good standing of a medical doctor who intends to upload patient records under the migrant health portal
(b) The section applies to a medical doctor who is not registered and licensed in the Islands.
- Police record shall be now valid once dated within the past six (6) months to the date of application
- Updated requirements for renewal of annual licence, including:
- a)Proof of completion of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements
- b)For applicants on the unrestricted list-temporary or visiting, original letter of good standing or online verification certificate of good standing, of not more than three months old.