UK university honours Dr Adjase
The University of Winchester in the United Kingdom (UK) has awarded a Doctor of Science Degree to Dr Emmanuel Teye Adjase, the Rector of the Kintampo College of Health, in recognition of his contribution to the provision of healthcare in the rural areas of the country.
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The then Kintampo Rural Health Institute, which offered a few certificate courses in health, has grown by leaps and bounds after Dr Adjase was appointed to head the institute in the early 2000s.
With an initial student admission of 200, the college can now boast 2,000 health students who are pursuing 14 different programmes, including physician assistants, making the Kintampo College of Health the bedrock of primary healthcare (PHC) in the country.
The college is also training middle-level health professionals to provide mental care and has for some time now turned out 120 mental health professionals who have been posted to all parts of the country to support the only 11 active psychiatrics in Ghana.
It is in recognition of these achievements that the University of Winchester, which is collaborating with the college in its quest to become a university, awarded Dr Adjase the Doctor of Science Degree at a ceremony in the UK recently.
A citation accompanying the award and signed by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Ms Joy Carter, indicated that Dr Adjase had “devoted his career to the service of some of the needy but least well-off of Ghana’s population, the rural poor,” adding that “he has done so through a steadfast commitment to the education of health professionals.”
The citation noted that Dr Adjase’s dedicated work had contributed to the provision of about 200 mental health workers to cater for the mentally ill in the rural setting, saying that he had done so by making a case to the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service.
“Dr Adjase devoted equal time and efforts to his colleagues at the college, creating an inspirational educational community now working for university status.”
The citation added that Dr Adjase held a strong position on the international stage, explaining that he had developed many contacts throughout the world and had recently spoken about the Kintampo project at a conference in London hosted by the Tropical Health Education, which forged links among healthcare organisations in developing countries.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic about the awards, Dr Adjase said: “I feel humbled by such an international recognition. I will continue to work hard to ensure that the college attains a university status.