GHS enrolls highest batch of healthcare practitioners

The Ghana Medical and Dental Council has inducted into office 229 newly qualified medical and dental practitioners; thus further boosting Ghana’s healthcare delivery system.

The new practitioners are from the University Of Ghana Medical School; the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology School of Medical Sciences; the Dental School, Kumasi; the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences, and the University for Development Studies School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

They also include also foreign-trained practitioners who took and passed the Council’s registration examination.

They were issued with provisional registration certificates to enable them to undertake their two-year housemanship in accredited health institutions, a prerequisite for permanent registration.

Their second year would also serve as their National Service.

Earlier in the week, 403 Physician’s Assistants were also inducted into office, which brings the total number of healthcare professionals being admitted into the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to 632, the largest batch ever to be enrolled.

Mr Alex Segbefia, the Minister of Health, in a speech read on his behalf, at the ceremony at the weekend, in Accra, said the induction was taking place at a time when the health sector was beginning to rethink its strategy for securing the health of the nation.

“This is because today’s health care system is increasingly being defined by the demands of access, safety, quality and cost,” he stated.

“Our disease burden continue to be dominated by preventable and easily treatable diseases and the persistent burden of childhood communicable diseases, for which preventive and simple curative measures are widely available, says a lot about the progress we have made over the years,” he stated.

The Minister, therefore, urged the young doctors to take up the challenge of making a difference where those before them had not.

Mr Segbefia advised them to commit themselves to the philosophy of self-development through active and continuous learning and involvement in professional development programmes so as to ensure competent services at all times.

Dr Ernest Yorke, a member of the Council, implored the newly qualified doctors and dentists to make good use of the experience of their seniors and to seek their counsel when the need arose.

“Keep updating your knowledge because the fields of Medicine and Dentistry are evolving very rapidly,” he advised them.

“Try and avoid fraud; apart from a jail term, you may lose your license,” he cautioned.

“Life is not all about service, work hard, but find time and refresh. In all things seek the face of the Lord and his counsel,” Dr Yorke advised.

Dr Eric Asamoa, the President of the Council, who inducted them into office, gave the assurance that their job opportunities were awaiting.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, the Director-General of the GHS, advised them to be humble and to let the health of their patients be of paramount concern to them.

He urged them to accept postings to the districts; where they stood the chance of gaining better experience.