College of Physicians and Surgeons increases intake

Accra, July 25, GNA - Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons has tripled its 2007 intake for doctors pursuing postgraduate courses to raise expertise of Ghanaian doctors and the quality of healthcare delivery.

The intake of 175 was an increase over the previous year of 105, 62 for 2005 and 68 for 2004.

Areas of study include medicine, surgery, radiology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and other related disciplines. Professor Paul Kwame Nyame, Rector of the College, who disclosed this during the induction of a 12-member Board of Trustees for the College's Endowment Fund, said out of the 210 applicants for this year only 175 were offered admission due to lack of accommodation. The Board of Trustees, which has Mr Ato Ampiah, Managing Director of Crystal Auto Company Limited as chairman, is charged with running the College's Endowment Fund.

The Endowment Fund, which is yet to be inaugurated, would be charged with augmenting the resources of the College to further the professional and educational training of physicians and surgeons and promote specialist training in medicine, surgery and other related disciplines.

It would also assist in the continuous professional development of students, promote research and formulate health policies. Prof. Nyame explained that since the inception of the College in 2002, it had enjoyed full support of government. He said the College needed to be more independent and more influential, raise its own funds and pay its own bills. Prof. Samuel Ofosu-Amaah, President of the College who inducted the Board of Trustees, said the quality of healthcare needed to be improved. However, he said, that could only be done by upgrading the knowledge of doctors through the postgraduate courses offered locally. Prof. Ofosu-Amaah said it was the aim of the College to ensure that doctors who passed through the College were equipped with the necessary skills to fit anywhere they might find themselves and enjoy their work. Mr Ampiah said the time had come for Ghana to move away from donor funding to self-funding.

He said the Board would do its best to ensure that Ghanaian doctors were given the needed skills locally.

The other members of the Board are Prof. Nyame, Rector of the College, Prof. Christian Adomakoh, Treasurer of the College, Dr H.A. Wemah, Managing Director of Agrovets Limited, Alhaji Asoma Abu Banda, Chairman of Antrak Group of Companies, Mr Akenten Appiah-Menka, Executive Chairman of Appiah-Menka Complex and Mr Albert Essien, Regional Head, West and East Africa Monetary Zone of Ecobank. The rest are Nana Oye Mansa Yeboaa, Dompiahene of Akuapem, Mr Osei Kwame Agyeman, an architect, Mr Edward Addo, Managing Director of Unimax MacMillan Limited, Mrs Elizabeth Villars, Managing Director of Camelot Ghana Limited and Mr Komla Afeke Dumor, a journalist, British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 July 07