Foreign-trained doctors required to sit for Zimbabwe exams

Foreign-trained doctors hoping to practise in Zimbabwe will first have to pass local qualifying examinations before they can be registered to work in the country's health sector, the government has said.

Authorities say the requirement is designed to ensure that all medical practitioners meet the same professional standards as those trained locally.

Responding to questions in the National Assembly, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Kwidini said the policy takes into account the differences in medical education systems across the world.

"When a person has decided to go out and train or acquire skills that are also available in their own country, when that person comes back to be enrolled, he or she has to go through examinations so that they are on the same level as those students who trained in the country," Kwidini said.

He noted that many foreign-trained doctors successfully sit for the examinations and are subsequently registered to practise in Zimbabwe.

However, he acknowledged that some candidates struggle to meet the requirements due to differences in medical training curricula between countries.

"So, most of them are failing to register in the country because of the difference in curriculum. However, most of them have followed the system and written the examinations required when they come back after training outside," he said.

Kwidini stressed that the requirement applies equally to all practitioners seeking to work in Zimbabwe, including foreign nationals recruited to fill gaps in the country's health sector.

"This applies to everyone, whether local or international, because whenever foreign doctors are recruited to come and offer services in Zimbabwe, every standard procedure is followed to ascertain whether they are qualified or specialized in the field we want to fill," he said.