Emergency medicine growing in Ghana

Ghana is making the needed progress in providing a world-class health emergency care, with the graduation of 15 trained specialist emergency physicians slated for Saturday.

They had successfully completed their residency training in emergency medicine at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, the nation’s second largest referral facility.

The training was under the Ghana Emergency Medicine Collaboration Programme (GEMC) – a pilot partnership between KATH, Health Ministry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, University of Michigan (United States) and the National Ambulance Service.

A press release issued by the Public Relations Unit of KATH, said alongside the specialist physicians, 60 nurses with acquired specialty in emergency nursing would also pass out.

The GEMC was developed in 2009, with significant inputs from national leaders in education, health administration and the goal is to create locally-focused training programmes that would be sustainable and expandable.

It said there were currently 30 residents in training, who come from across the country and Nigeria.

The release said through the training programme, three regions in Ghana are now benefitting from the services of specialist emergency physicians.

It made reference to the significant negative impact of traumatic injuries and non-infectious diseases on the economies of developing countries including Ghana and said it was on account of this that the GEMC must be appreciated as a welcome relief.

“With this collaboration, Ghana is ready to provide world-class specialty emergency health care services to its people and others in the West Africa sub-region”.

It announced plans to create another residency training site for both nurses and doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), and expand emergency department function to regional hospitals in Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo and Northern Regions.

Fellowship programmes in pediatric emergency medicine, trauma/injury research, critical care medicine and emergency medical services is also part of the package.