Don’t abandon your country for another - Health professionals told

Professor Afua Adwo Jectey Hesse, President of Accra College of Medicine, has called on medical professionals to stay in the country and contribute to its rapid development.

She emphasised that each person had a duty to contribute to the development of the country, so “love your country and don’t be in a hurry to abandon it to go and develop another country.”

Professor Hesse was speaking at a White Coat ceremony to induct students at the School of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University of Health and Allied Science (UHAS) in Ho, in the Volta Region into their clinical year after successfully completing their pre-clinical training.

The President urged the students to follow God’s guidance to transform the nation into what they want it to be, saying “we are the only ones who can develop our own country.”

Speaking on the theme: “The Path to Entrepreneurial Excellence in Healthcare,” she challenged the students to adopt a mindset that would allow them create jobs for themselves rather than waiting on the government.

The President said integrity was key in the health profession, and truth telling always paid a great dividend, hence they must cherish them, and that “what is right is right and what is wrong can never be right.”

"Be known for being just and not discriminatory in terms of social status or financial means of education or anything else that will make people feel inferior when they’re in your presence or that will discriminate to make people feel more superior,” she said.

Professor Hesse urged the students to never stop adding value to themselves, strive for excellence in all they do, and be creative, so they could seize the possibilities that presented themselves.

The President advised them to treat everyone with respect and dignity and to avoid looking down on them because rules and conditions could change suddenly.

She warned them to be mindful of their time, saying that since procrastination is the real time-thief, they should avoid it like a plague.

Professor Hesse urged the students to view all their experiences as learning opportunities and to view every obstacle as a problem that had a solution waiting to be discovered.

Professor Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor of the University, asked the students to observe ethical principles as healthcare professionals, noting that the white coat signified professionalism, compassion, and purity.

She urged the students to commit themselves to their studies and training to acquire the requisite skills necessary to become good health workers.

Prof Aziato used the event to appeal for support to complete the university’s laboratory complex.