Graduate physician assistants sue MoH, Medical & Dental Council
One hundred and twenty-eight graduate Physician Assistants from the College of Health and Well-Being at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region, have filed a suit at the Sunyani High Court seeking an Order of Mandamus to compel the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Medical and Dental Council (GMDC) to permit them to participate in the 2018 Licentiate Examination for which they have been duly registered.
The applicants are also seeking an order of prohibition to restrain the MoH and the GMDC from conducting the examination without their participation.
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They are also seeking that the court compels the college to regularise any accreditation requirement with the GMDC not only for their smooth career progression but also for future graduates of the school.
Earlier, the applicants had placed an injunction on the conduct of the examination which was scheduled for Saturday September 29, 2018, when they were informed by the GMDC that they would not be permitted to write the examination.
This was because the “pre-qualification credentials for the examination indicated on the application form and other supporting documents are not recognised by the GMDC.”
Affidavit
An affidavit supporting the motion indicated that the graduates applied to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Community Medicine and Health Programme leading to the Physician Assistant (medical) grade in response to an advertisement by the College of Health and Well-Being, Kintampo.
It stated that after going through two academic years and competing with the BSc Physician Assistant’s Programme successfully, the applicants were given attestations to signify that they had completed the programme.
The affidavit explained that the graduates then applied to the GMDC to participate in the Licentiate Examination which was accepted before they were each made to pay GH¢630.00 through the Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service towards the organisation of the examination.
It stated that the immediate past applicants who completed the college in 2017 were permitted to write the examination after which they were duly inducted by the GMDC in August 2017 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra.
