Brong Ahafo needs a medical school and a Teaching Hospital – Mr Ransford Antwi appeals

Chief Executive Officer of Sunyani based Suncity radio, Mr. Ransford Antwi, has called on all well-meaning sons and daughters of the Brong Ahafo region, particularly politicians and other powerful individuals to use every possible protocol and resources to facilitate the establishment of a medical school in the region.
Speaking to newsmen of Suncity radio, the renowned business mogul cum philanthropist stated that the time for the region to have its own medical school is overdue. “We deserve a medical school in this region,” he said. “All of us must help push this noble course forward. Politicians and strategically positioned sons of our region must facilitate the establishment of a medical school in the region,” he added.

Mr. Antwi cited several reasons including the limited number of medical schools in the country and the unfair competition at such institutions as regards the admission of prospective medical students as some of the reasons necessitating the establishment of a medical school in the region.
The Brong Ahafo region has produced some distinguished doctors of medicine which include but not limited to Professor Stephen Tabiri of the Tamale teaching Hospital, Dr.JB Fordjour,Dr Opuni, formerly of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,Dr.Appiah-Kubi to mention but a few.
In spite of the unquestionable pool of brilliant students from the Brong Ahafo region who harbor the dream of becoming medical doctors, and otherwise qualify to pursue courses in medicine, such dreams are often frustrated by denials by the limited medical schools in the country to admit such passionate and brilliantly qualified students.
An establishment of a Brong Ahafo based medical school will thus offer opportunities to many prospective medical students in the region and beyond, as well as lessen the burden on the few available medical schools in the country.
Many people are shocked by the news that master Pius Kyere, who was adjudged as the overall best student in West Africa in last year’s WASSCE could not get admission to read his preferred program of medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Many believe that the institution was not fair to master Pius Kyere who hails from the Brong Ahafo region. Mr. Antwi believes that with a deserved medical school in the region, cases like that of Master Pius Kyere would be rare.
Mr. Antwi also called for the upgrade of the Sunyani Regional Hospital to a full Teaching Hospital to serve a greater purpose than it’s doing presently. “I am convinced that if we had our own medical school in this region, Pius would not have gone through such frustration as the best student in the WASSCE,” he said. “I believe that moving forward, the Sunyani Regional Hospital needs to be upgraded to a Teaching Hospital to support the training of doctors and other health personnel,” he added.
Mr. Antwi also called on the Sunyani based University of Energy Natural Resources which recently introduced some programs in Bsc Medical BioDiagnostics and Bsc Biological Science to put up measures to ensure that the University has a fully functional medical school as early as possible.