Physiotherapy training school cries for infrastructure

Inadequate infrastructure at the only Physiotherapy and Orthotics Training School in the country is affecting annual student enrollment.

The School at Abuom, with its new campus, near Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North District of Brong-Ahafo Region has limited classroom blocks and no hostel and staff accommodation.

Mr. Frederick Inkum Danquah, the Principal of the School disclosed this during the second congregation and seventh matriculation ceremony on Friday.

Mr. Danquah said the only government funded hostel project started in 2011 had been abandoned due to lack of funds.

Initially, the school which was established in 2009 was temporarily operating at the St John of God Catholic Hospital at Duayaw-Nkwanta, under the Catholic Diocese of Goaso, before it was moved to the present campus.

Ninety-three fresh students were matriculated while 204 others were also graduated.

Mr. Danquah explained that expansion of classrooms and other educational facilities would enable the school to admit more students, noting that the rented accommodation for students and staff was not auguring well for effective teaching and learning.

He said in the midst of the daunting challenges, the school had churned out 204 highly skilled physiotherapy assistants, from 2011 to 2014.

Mr. Danquah said about 60 percent of the staff of the School were paid from student fees, a situation, which he lamented had accounted for the perennial increments in school fees.

He said the institution was upgraded from a certificate to a diploma awarding status in 2013, adding that in 2014, it entered into academic collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Mr. Danquah said the School with current student population of 210 had six full time tutors, four of whom are professional physiotherapists.

Mr. Justice Samuel Adjei, the Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, noted that good and efficient health care delivery system could spur rapid economic growth and transformation.

This, he noted was why the government had demonstrated to improving healthcare delivery through the expansion of health facilities nationwide, with the Region benefiting from five Polyclinics and 518 Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound facilities.