Prior to 2019, all health professionals working within the Turks and Caicos Islands were regulated under the Health Practitioners Ordinance 2009, whose provisions were administered by the Health Practitioners Board (HPB). The HPB had regulatory responsibilities for all health practitioners, including those from the professions of medicine and surgery, dentistry, psychiatry, osteopathy, chiropractics, chiropody, veterinary medicine, psychology, optometry, pharmacy, nursing and midwifery, physiotherapy, radiology and ultra-sonography, medical technology, paramedics, dental hygiene, dietetics, acupuncture, pharmacy technicians, and veterinary technicians.

The Health Practitioners Board also had regulatory responsibilities for all health facilities located within the Turks & Caicos Islands, and for evaluating all applications for registration and renewal of licences for those health facilities and health practitioners.

As a part of the Ministry of Health’s legislative agenda to strengthen and improve the governance and regulatory standards of the health and health care services within the country, the Health Professions Ordinance 2016 commenced on June 10, 2019. The Ordinance provided for the establishment of different health professions councils for the regulation of the medicine and dentistry professions, the nursing and midwifery professions, and the allied health professions and pharmacy professions, for the connected purposes of:

• The registration and licensing of health professionals;
• The regulation of the professional conduct and discipline of registered practitioners;
• The establishment and promotion of high standards of education and training requirements of registered practitioners;
• The establishment and promotion of high standards of professional conduct and ethics and performance of registered practitioners;
• The establishment and maintenance of a system to enable the assessment of the ability and competency of a practitioner for the proper provision of medical services;
• To advise the Ministry on the types of health professions which should be permitted in the Islands; and
• To standardize the nomenclature to be used for each profession.

The Health Regulation Authority and the Health Professions Authority :

The Health Regulation Authority (HRA) will come into being under the Health Regulation Ordinance 2016. It will regulate the health facilities within the country and will work in tandem with the Health Professions Authority which works with the health professionals.

The Health Professions Authority was established by the Health Professions (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 to carry out administrative and secretarial operations in support of the three (3) health professions councils. The Ordinance also provided for a Chief Executive Officer to head the Health Professions Authority, and to have such numbers of staff as necessary to carry out the required functions.

The Health Professions Regulations 2019:

These Regulations commenced on November 22, 2019, and provide details on:

1. Application for registration
2. Approval of registration and issue of certificate of registration
3. Application for licence to practise
4. Issue of licence
5. Application for renewal of licence
6. Conditions for provisional registration: Intern
7. Conditions for provisional registration: Temporary or specified purpose
8. Notification of absence from practice
9. The form of the Register
10. Applicable Fees
11. The Requirements and qualifications for registration
12. Continuing Professional Education
13. Identification (IDs) for registered practitioners

The Health Professions Authority (HPA):

The HPA will provide requisite information and updates on all related matters to health professioals.

The staff at the HPA may be contacted at:

The Office of Health Professions Authority
Town Center Mall – 2^nd floor
23 Parade Avenue - Downtown
Providenciales
Turks and Caicos Islands

Tel: (649) 338-5140
Email: hpaapplications@gov.tc