Sudan Medical Council
Constitution
The SMCI was constituted as provide for by the Sudan Medical Council Act 1955 as an independent, autonomous body, but did not resume duties until 18 July 1968. The SMC is responsible to the council of Ministers through its president or deputy president for the execution of its duties and performing its function. The current SNC Act has evolved through several amendments :the 1973 Act, the 1986 Act, the 1993Act,and the extant(1993Act as amended for 2004). Due to the latest amendments, the SMC is responsible for the supervision of all medical health institutions and facilities in the country, and in conjunction with the Ministry of Higher Education for approving the establishment of new medical, dental and pharmacy schools. The SMC Act empowers the SMC to make regulations, order, and bylaws to enable it to enforce the provision of this Act (Appendix 1).
Since its inception, the SMC has presided over by ten medical practitioners (see Appendix 2). Almost all senior medical practitioners, pharmacists and dentists in Sudan are involved in it activities.
Formation
The SMC is formed by a Ministerial decree on recommendation of the authorized Minister of a president, Vice-President, and widely representative notable and competent members of the profession. Membership in SMC is for four years renewable. The numbers increased from 18 in 1968 to 25 in 1983 and 33 in 2004.
Role
The purpose of the SMC in exercising its functions is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice, dentistry and pharmacy by laying down a sound code of conduct and disciplinary measures.
Duties
The law gives the SMC the following function under the Sudan Medical Council Act: Keeping up- to- date register of qualified medical practitioners, pharmacists and dentists.
Fostering good medical practice.
Promoting high standards of medical education.
Establishing code of conduct and dealing firmly and fairly with medical practitioners, dentists, and pharmacists whose fitness to practice is in doubt.
Establishing, publishing, and maintaining the Sudan.
Approving (with Ministry of higher Education) the establishment of new medical, dental and pharmacy schools.
SMC Branches
Due to the federal rule arrangements, it has been decided to extend the SMC jurisdiction to southern Sudan and all Northern Sudanese states. A Southern Sudan Medical Council Branch has already been established. Branches in Northern Sudan started with a branch in the Gezira state.
Partnerships
SMC works through partnerships with state and executive and in collaboration with the health sector (Ministries of health, Sudan National Specialisation Board, Federal pharmacy and Poisons Board, etc). It also works closely with related international agencies including WHO. The SMC also established good working channels with the media.
Currently, the SMC is member of the international Association of Medical Councils, and has viable working links with similar in UK, Ireland, KSA, and Pakistan.
Work
In addition to its administrative and financial offices, the SMC activities and function are carried out by specialist directorates (Appendix 3) and standing stator committees (APPENDIX 4). Ad hoc committees are frequently appointed to carry out tasks of limited nature.
SMC Activities and function
The Medical Register
The SMC keeps registers of all medical practitioners, dentists, and pharmacists containing the names of those registered and qualifications they are entitled to have registered under the Act. Medical practitioners, pharmacists, and dentists must be
registered with the SMC to practice medicine in the S UDAN. The SMC maintains a permanent Register, Specialist Register, Temporary and provisional Register. These registers are published regularly and available online.
The provisional Register is a register of new Sudanese or foreign medical colleges and are eligible to work as interns in the Sudan health service. As such they are eligible to work only in hospitals and under the supervision of the specialists they work with. On successful completion of the internship period as decided by the SMC, interns are transferred to the permanent Register.
The permanent register fully registers the general practitioners, dentists and pharmacists who are eligible to practice medicine independently govern mental or private sectors.
The specialist register is a register of specialists and consultants eligible to work in the Sudan health service as such after satisfying the SMC regulations. A doctor can take up a substantive specialist or consultant post only when his or her details have been entered on the GMC’s specialist register.
The temporary register is a register of expatriate general practitioners, specialists and consultants, dentists, and pharmacists, eligible to work in the Sudan health service for a limited period of time. This type of register entitles the practitioner to practice medicine only in the institution he or she is assigned to.
The National Drug Formulary
The SMC publishes and makes available to all medical practitioners, dentists and pharmacists the Sudan National Formulary. The SNF is a reference book that lists all drudge routinely stocked in the Sudan. The SNF gives the dosage from of all medicines, their indications, contraindications, precautions on use, and comments on the diseases on whish they are used.
Licensing Examinations
Since September 2000, the SMC holds regularly licensing examinations to all medical practitioners, dentists and pharmacists to ensure that they are competent to be granted permanent SMC registration.
Medical Ethics
To up hold high standers of medical ethics, moral integrity, and utmost respect to human life the SMC publish its guideline booklet (Medical Ethics and Medico-Moral Problems) in 1969 (amended 1979), whish is issued to all doctors, dentists and pharmacists on registration.
Complaints and Discipline
The SMC standing disciplinary committee investigates any complaint that come to its notice or violation to medical ethics. The SMC has the power to erase doctors from its register or with hold the license of medical, dental or pharmacy institution or facility.
Medical Education
The SMC has the general function of promoting high standers of medical educating and ensuring that all gradates from the medical, dental and pharmacy schools who apply for registration have had appropriate teaching and training and passed reasonable examinations to enable them practice medicine safely. For the purpose of discharging these function, the SMC may appoint inspectors to visit any medical any medical, dental or pharmacy school to report to the SMC as to the sufficiency of the examination held and or instruction given in the places which they visit and as to any other matters relating to the instruction which may be specified by the SMC either generally or in any particular case. The SMC also established relation with examiners local and visitor, and extended its supervisory role to the sundaes students studding abroad through sundaes consulates.
Accreditation of Medical Schools
The SMC has the right to remove from its list of approved bodies a medical, dental or pharmacy school if it violates the current rules and regulation. To carry this supervisory function, the SMC established the Accredit on committee to be responsible for making sure that the programmers of these schools meet the standers established by the SMC The accreditation certificate for any school expires 5 years.
Pregame for Provisionally register doctors
The SMC decides on the programme that provide provisionally registered medical practitioners, dentists, and pharmacists with acceptable foundation for future practice as fully registered medical practitioners.
Supervision of Medical and Health Instructions
The SMC is responsible for the inspection of all medical and pharmacy facilities in the Sudan to investigate any compliant reported to it or on the basis of regular inspection and take necessary action.
Publication
The SMC publishes the SMC constitution, Medical Ethic and Medco-Moral Problems the and the Sudan National Formulary. These publications are distributed to all medical practitioners, dentists, and pharmacists on registration.
Meetings and decisions
The SMC holds its ordinary business meetings on the last Tuesday of each calendar month. All decisions are taken by simple majority and frequently by general conset.Extraordingy meetings are held at the request of the SMC president or at the request of any three SMC members addressing their request to the president. All SMC decision are viable to all members to read unless otherwise decided by the SMC.
Appendices
Appendix 1: Regulation and Bylaws
1. Accreditation Committee
2.Complaints and Discipline
3.Examination Committee
4.Re gestation of Medical practitioners and pharmacists
5. Signposts and medical advertisement
6. SMC Business
7. Specialist Register
8. Specialists Upgrading
Appendix 2: SMC P residents (1968-2009)
1.Dr. Ali Bedri (1968-1974)
2.Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed ElMoghrabi (1974-1978)
3.Dr. Mohamed Ali Ahmed (1978-1981)
4.Dr.ElHadi ElZein El NAHAS (1981-1985)
5.Dr. Mohamed El Hassan Abu Bakr (1985-1989)
6.Dr. Ahmed Abdel Aziz Yagoub (1989-1991)
7.Dr. Mirghani Sanhouri El Shikh (1991-1993)
8.Dr. Abdel Raman El Tom Ziad (1993-2004)
9.Dr. Abdel Rahman Mohamed Musa (2004-2009)
10.Dr. Zein El-Abdien Abdel Rahim Karrar (2009- ).
Appendix 3: Specialist Directorates
1.Anaesthesia
2.Basic Medical Sciences
3.Chest DISEASES
4.Community Medicine
5.Dentistry
6.Dermatology and Sexually transmitted Disease
7.ENT
8.General Practice
9.Medicine
10.Obstetrics and Gynecology
11. Ophthalmology
12. Orthopedics
13. Pediatrics
14.Pathology
15.Pharmacy
16.Physiotherapy
17.Psychiatry
18.Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine
19.Surgery
20.Urology
Appendix 4: Standing Statutory Committees
1.Medical Education
2.Accreditation
3.Professional Ethics
4.Rules and Regulation
5.Sudan National Formulary
6.Examination
7.Medical Practitioners Evaluation
8.Expatriate Medical Practitioners Registration
9.Specialists Registration Appeals
10.Complaints
11.Appeals
12. Disciplinary