One important organization that has contributed to keeping Ghana’s medical professionals from leaving the country is the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The college, which was formed in 2003 by a parliamentary legislation, has long been recognized as the nation’s top institution for training professionals in medicine, surgery, and allied fields.
At a press reception to announce the College’s upcoming 20th anniversary events, Dr. Nkrumah Mills, the College’s former president, announced this.
Activities to celebrate the 20th anniversary run from April to December under the subject “Two Decades of Medical Post Graduate Training in Ghana.”
He claimed that after completing their post-graduate degrees in Ghana, medical professionals were forced to fly abroad for training because there was no specialised school there.
“The trend changed considerably when the college was established in 2003, to provide specialist education for health professionals in the country,” Dr Mills stated.
“So, if you look at the figures the number of people who were leaving the country was high but as soon as the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons was established, the numbers went down considerably so that is the situation,’’ he said.
Dr. Mills remarked that the pattern might have led to brain drain, which might have had a large detrimental impact on the health sector by increasing the nation’s doctor-patient ratio.
Former College Rector and Chairman of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, Professor Paul Nyame, stated that the college had made a significant contribution to the education of medical specialists in Ghana.
He said that since its founding, 16 facilities spanning the physician and surgical specialties had produced 1,690 members and 200 fellows.
“The college has also contributed to policy discussions within the health sector, by presenting policy recommendations on how to improve the sector to the Ministry of Health,” he stated.
Although the college has achieved success, Professor Richard M.K. Adanu, the rector, stated that there are currently some difficulties.
He described some of the difficulties as logistical limitations and a lack of resources to carry out the required medical professional training, adding that the college was extremely concerned about the disparity between the educated specialists and the constantly growing population.
The anniversary planning committee’s chair, Dr. Justina Ansah, indicated that a number of events have been planned to commemorate the occasion, including a press soiree and the sensitization of fellows, members, and residents of the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
She said that a public lecture and the official 20th anniversary launch will both take place in May 2023.
“In June there would be media rounds, a health walk and medical screening in July in Accra and Kumasi, a second public lecture and fundraising dinner in August.
In October there will be a museum exhibition in some secondary schools, a donation to the Leprosarium, a third public lecture in November, and in December an annual general scientific meeting will be held, poster presentations/exhibition and a Thanksgiving service,” Dr Ansah started.
Source: GNA
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