Ghana gets first private medical school
Qualified applicants who are denied admission to the country’s public medical schools due to limited facilities still have a chance to pursue their dream with the opening of the country’s first private medical school.
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The school, Family Health Medical School, is set to take off next month with its pioneer class of 50 students.
Established by the management of the Family Health Teaching Hospital Limited, the school has been duly accredited by the National Accreditation Board and the Medical and Dental Council, and is affiliated to the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana.
The school, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, is located on the premises of the serene and beautiful Family Health Teaching Hospital Limited, a private hospital at Teshie, situated along the beach off the La-Teshie Beach Road.
The commencement of the first private medical school comes at a time that the high rate of rejection of many students with good grades, applying for admissions to the public medical schools with limited facilities, have become worrying not only for the frustrated applicants but also for parents, guardians and the public at large.
Presently the country’s four public medical training facilities do not have enough facilities to admit the numerous students who qualify for admission. This has resulted in low production levels of medical personnel resulting in a poor doctor-to-population ratio .
Doctor-population ratio
The country’s doctor population ratio is one doctor to 10,452 , according to the 2012 annual Report on the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2010 – 2013).
This, according to the report, fell short of the target set for the country which is one doctor to 9,700 people.
It is worthy of note that the international recommended levels of doctor population ratio is one to 5,000, by the Commonwealth; one to 1,320, by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and one to 3,000 by European standards.
Founder
The Founder and President of Family Health Medical School, Professor. Enyoman Yao Kwawukume, said the vision of the school was to be the prime centre for professional medical education and training by 2020 and beyond.
“Ten years from now, I believe I will see the topmost medical school which will combine learning in various areas and will replicate our own by producing lecturers, very good clinicians and public doctors,’ he added.
Prof. Kwawukume said the objectives of the school were to train medical doctors who would provide good medical care to improve the doctor/patient ratio in the country , address the shortage of critical health personnel, fill vacancies for prospective Ghanaian and foreign nationals who would want to pursue medical training in Ghana and replace existing medical personnel who were leaving active service due to attrition.
He emphasised that the school would produce doctors who would quickly be exposed to the rural areas to learn and appreciate the needs of rural communities
Prof. Kwawukume expressed his appreciation to the Vice Chancellor, the Pro. Vice Chancellors and the Registrar of the University of Ghana, the Medical and Dental Council, the National accreditation Board, Deans of Biomedical and Allied Sciences, and School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana for their support which had resulted in the take-off of the school.
He also expressed his appreciation to Prof Tim Johnson, Gynaecologist of the University of Michigan , USA, who he referred to as his mentor , for facilitating his residency at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital , the first private university in the USA, “Where the idea of the private medical school was born.”
Prof. Kwawukume further thanked Prof. Bissalla Ekele of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital for his guidance during the formative stages of the school.
Facilities of the school
The Family Health Medical School has modern facilities. These include an E-library (Tim Johnson Library Complex), telemedicine facilities where students can have virtual lectures from abroad, House of Anatomy for dissection of Cadavers and all computerised facilities to view different parts of the human body.
It also has well-equipped laboratories with modern equipment for physiology, on-campus hostel facilities for students, accommodation for visiting professors, mortuary, sports field, a canteen and an administration block.
It will also collaborate with medical schools in the United States of America, Europe and Asia where students will have the privilege to go for electives and interact with their counterparts from the third year.
Admission
Prof. Kwawukume indicated that admission to the Family Health Medical School for the BSc (Med. Sci.) and MB ChB Programmes would follow an entrance examination and or interview of eligible candidates to be based on Senior High School Certificate Examinations, West African Senior School Certificate (WASSCE) and General Certificate Examination (GCE).
Mentoring
Prof. Kwawukume said with a faculty that was fully aware of the challenges of medical school education, Family Health Medical School had put in place a mentoring programme to help students not only to overcome the challenges but also excel in their chosen career.
He said a number of prominent Ghanaian personalities, including religious and traditional leaders had signed on to the mentoring programme.
Teaching Hospital
In addition to being taught by renowned national and international lecturers and professors, the medical school has an advantage of being attached to the first private teaching hospital in Ghana, the Family Health Teaching Hospital, a 24-hour hospital for practical lessons.
The hospital, which has been in existence since 1997, provides comprehensive healthcare services in general medicine, specialist services, diagnostic/ investigation services and treatment centres for kidney dialysis and fertility services.
Specialist services provided at the centre include surgical services, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, child health (Pediatrics), Dietetic Clinic, Eye Clinic, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Orthopaedic (Bone), Genito-Urinary(GU), Dermatology, Opthalmology, Diabetology, and Cardiology.
Diagnostic/investigation services offered are X-ray services, medical laboratory services, E.C.G. (Electrocardiogram), Echocardiogram (heart scan) and uultrasound (scan) services
The Family Health Teaching Hospital also runs a nursing school where health assistants (clinical) are trained, and is in the process of starting Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery courses.
The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Susu Bridget Kwawukume, said the students were assured of the best facilities for their hands-on training.
She expressed the hospital’s preparedness to offer the students the maximum support in their studies.