Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act, 1982 (Act No. 19 of 1982)RulesRules relating to the Practising of Para-Veterinary Profession of Animal Health Technician4. Conduct of persons practising Animal Health Technician Profession |
General principles
| (1) | An animal health technician must base his/her personal and professional conduct thereon that he/she is a member of a learned and honourable profession and is required to act at all times in such a manner as will maintain and promote the prestige, honour, dignity and interests of the profession and of the persons by whom it is practised. |
| (2) | All persons practising the animal health technician veterinary para-profession are working towards the same common good cause, whether they are self-employed or in the service of an employer, and they must cooperate with each other and with the authorities concerned to promote that cause. |
| (3) | An animal health technician must have relevant training to do procedures. |
| (4) | An animal health technician must be registered with the Council. |
| (5) | As a para-veterinary professional an animal health technician is required to comply with the following fundamental principles: |
| (a) | Integrity: To be honest and ethical. |
| (b) | Professional Competence: |
| (i) | To maintain the professional knowledge and skill required to ensure that a client receives competent professional services based on current developments in practice, legislation and techniques and act diligently and in accordance with applicable technical and professional standards benchmarked against what is expected of the reasonable animal health technician considering the circumstances and geographic and demographic realities at hand; |
| (ii) | To comply with continuing professional development (CPD), which enables an animal health technician to develop and maintain the capabilities to perform competently within the professional environment; and/or |
| (iii) | To keep record of CPD hours obtained to ensure CPD requirements are met to ensure that registration with Council is maintained. |
| (c) | Confidentiality: To respect the confidentiality of information acquired as a result of professional services and the relationships emanating there from, and, therefore, not disclose any such information to third parties without proper and specific authority, unless there is a legal or professional right or duty to disclose, nor use the information for the personal advantage of the animal health technician professional or third parties. |
| (d) | Professional conduct includes but is not limited to: |
| (i) | To be informed and comply with all the legal directives which are relevant to the practice of his /her profession and which include the Act, its regulations and rules, the current Code of Conduct and Practise, the Stock Remedies Act and its regulations, as well as all other relevant legislation; |
| (ii) | To avoid any action that the animal health technician knows or ought to have known that may discredit the profession; |
| (iii) | To be morally obliged to serve the public to the best of his/her ability and in the light of acceptable scientific knowledge; |
| (iv) | To refrain from expressing unfounded criticism through which the reputation, status or practise of a colleague in the profession is or could be undermined; |
| (v) | The place at or from which a person practises the animal health technician’s para-veterinary profession for own account, must be registered with Council and must comply with the applicable general minimum standards for that PAHC facility; |
| (vi) | The principal of a registered facility must inform the Council within thirty (30) days of any changes to the identity or address of the principal; if the principal should pass away, Council should immediately be informed. |
| (vii) | An animal health technician must inform Council within thirty (30) days of change of address or entering into employment or partnership at another registered facility. |
| (viii) | An animal health technician shall at all times adhere to animal welfare principles. |
| (ix) | Apply for an extension of registration should procedures be performed outside the scope of practise of an animal health technician. |
| (e) | “Unprofessional conduct” is unprofessional, dishonourable or unworthy conduct on the part of an animal health technician, including, inter alia, the following acts and omissions: |
| (i) | Failure to comply with the Act, the regulations and/or rules promulgated under the said Act, and/or the Code of Conduct and/or guidelines issued by Council from time to time; |
| (ii) | Contravention of the provisions of the Stock Remedies Act, the Medicines Act and/or the regulations promulgated thereunder; |
| (iii) | Failure to comply with any other relevant legislation; |
| (iv) | Issuing any document which is not in compliance with the relevant rules; |
| (v) | Without reasonable cause or excuse, failing to perform professional work, or work of a kind commonly performed by a registered animal health technician, with such a degree of skill, care or attention, or of such a quality or standard, as in the opinion of the Council may be expected of the reasonable animal health technician, as the case may be; |
| (vi) | Performing professional services outside the scope of practice; |
| (vii) | Neglecting to give proper attention to his/her clients and/or patients or in any way failing to attend or refer to patient welfare while under the animal health technician’s care without valid reason; |
| (viii) | Failing to adequately supervise his/her staff; |
| (ix) | Treating a client in a disrespectful and/or discourteous manner, unless justifiable reasons exist; |
| (x) | Over-servicing a patient; |
| (xi) | Incompetence, gross negligence or any form of negligence in the practising of the animal health technician profession; |
| (xii) | The inability to practise with reasonable skill and safety due to a physical and/or mental disability, including deterioration of mental capacity, loss of motor skills, or substance abuse to a sufficient degree to diminish the person’s ability to render a competent service; |
| (xiii) | Fraud or dishonesty in making any kind of application to Council or any reporting done in the course of duty, including the reporting of any test for disease in an animal or in charging for a test that was not performed or services not rendered; |
| (xiv) | Falsifying and/or backdating any report in part or in full; |
| (xv) | In any way directly or indirectly assisting, allowing or enabling an unqualified person and/or unregistered person to perform professional work which by law only a veterinary and/or para-veterinary professional is allowed to perform; |
| (xvi) | Referring work, the performance of which is reserved by law to a veterinary and/or para-veterinary professional, to a person not registered with Council; |
| (xvii) | Non-payment after demand of any fee, levy or other charge payable to the Council; |
| (xviii) | Failure to comply with an order, requirement, request, sentence or sanction of the Council and/ or the Registrar or any official appointed by the Council or the Registrar to perform any function in furtherance of the Council’s objectives; |
| (xix) | Failure to submit to an inspection of a PAHC facility required by Council; |
| (xx) | Practising from a facility which is not registered or does not comply with the minimum standards set out in the rules; |
| (xxi) | Failure to advise Council of any change in his/her physical residential or employment address, and other contact details, within thirty (30) days of such change being effected; |
| (xxii) | Being convicted of being involved in any criminal or illegal activity, if it relates to the practising of the veterinary professions or is deemed to bring the profession into disrepute; |
| (xxiii) | To permit himself/herself to be exploited in a manner which may be detrimental to the patient, client, the public or the profession, or allow bias, conflict of interest or influence of others, to compromise professional judgment; |
| (xxiv) | Failing to cooperate, obstructing or delaying an investigation into unprofessional conduct by Council; |
| (xxv) | Contempt and/or disrespect of Council; and |
| (xxvi) | Any other conduct which in the opinion of Council constitutes unprofessional conduct. |