Health team from University of Utah collaborate with Ghana

Accra, July 16, GNA- A team of health professionals from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City of the United States of America (USA) on Monday has recommended a Regulatory body and a practice Act be formed to control the exodus of health professionals in Ghana.

The team, which called on the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Gladys Norley Ashittey explained that the formation of those bodies, which should act independently should be tasked with the duties of ensuring that health professionals acted according to regulations laid down to control them from seeking greener pastures else where and causing a brain drain.


Ms. Nadia Miniclier, Assistant Physician of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine of the University of Utah, who led the delegation said USA had the same regulation and had bonded the health professionals to stay and work in their country after training and "it has worked perfectly".


The team has been in the country for two weeks under a collaborative programme between the University of Utah, Ministry of Health and the Kintampo Rural Health Training Centre under the Physician Assistant Programme.

The collaboration is to increase the availability of high quality primary care practitioners to the medically underserved rural communities as well as those who might need special attention. They are offering training in the areas of disease management, diabetes, water disease management, Asthma, Tuberculosis, Physiotherapy and HIV for medical assistants in rural areas who need refresher courses at the Kintampo Rural Health Training Centre.


She said the target of the group had been to increase the knowledge of about 500 medical assistants by January 2008 in Ghana and called for a deeper collaboration with the institutions involved. "With so many medical assistants reaching their retirement age soon, it will be critical to increase the number of medical assistants so they can also instil the same attitude of service in the new crop of assistants coming up", she added. Lepowura Mohammed Nuru-Deen Jawula, Chief Director of the Health Ministry commended the team for the health assistance and assured them of Ghana's assistance in ensuring effective and successful collaboration. 16 July 07