Category: Medicine

The Medical and Dental Council, Ghana, has inducted 295 Physician Assistants and Qualified Anaesthetists, who have undergone training and met all necessary requirements of the Council.

The newly qualified inductees from various training institutions across the country have passed their licensure examination and would soon be posted for a mandatory one year internship.

The Physician Assistants would augment and fill the gaps at health facilities, diagnose and administer medical, oral and anaesthesia to patients.

Dr Divine Nanyubala, Registrar of the Council, urged the inductees to be responsible and uphold the ethics of the profession as human lives had been entrusted in their care.

He said: ‘From today, a greater responsibility lies in your care of patients and this role is between life and death. Having met the basic training requirement, the Council will supervise your basic training and formally admit you into the profession. You will be eligible for permanent registration only after you have met the s
tandards.’

Dr Constance Adoyobo, Member of the 10th Board of the Medical and Dental Council, advised the professionals to stay within their limits and refrain from indulging in malpractices that were outside their areas of competence.

She said: ‘You may be exposed to a variety of tasks or procedures which may not necessarily fall in your scope, the caution here is to observe and not to be tempted to go beyond your limit.’

‘Do not present yourself as possessing leaders or training you do not have to the detriment of your patients, develop a cordial and respectful relationship with your seniors and consult your supervisors whenever in doubt,’ she added.

Dr. Hafez Adam, Director for External Health Cooperation, Ministry of Health (MOH), said professional negligence, improper conduct and unethical behaviour of medical professionals being recorded at health facilities were unacceptable.

‘ The people who swore their professional oaths and committed themselves to serve us in our most vulnerable states are now a
busers,’ he stated, saying, in line with the Ministry’s commitment to ensure professionalism and accountability, the Ministry had developed and launched the scope of practice guidelines for Physician Assistants to ensure that they practised within the competency level conferred by their training.

Dr Adam was hopeful that the development of the supervision model would be the Council’s top most priority activity for 2024 to assure the quality of internship of Physician Assistants and effective implementation of the guidelines.

The Director for External Health Cooperation said as the sector was trying to meet its responsibility to deliver on its mandate of universal health care, the caliber of professionals who could deliver would be needed.

Dr Adam noted that most districts did not have doctors so, the posting of Physician Assistants was necessary to augment and fill the gaps.

Source: Ghana News Agency

More than 1,000 vulnerable people, particularly women and children from Bolgatanga and its environs, have benefitted from free health screening and renewal of their membership under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The health screening covered general health examination on conditions such as high blood pressure (Bp), malaria, Hepatitis, blood sugar and Typhoid, among others.

Those who were identified to have certain health conditions were advised to seek medical attention at health facilities.

The screening and renewal of NHIS, done after a health walk, was organised by Mr Samuel Asaa, an Afrobeat (World Music) Musician, and it was part of efforts of giving back to society and contributing to developing the Upper East Region.

He is also set to organise a music concert in Bolgatanga on March 9, 2024, and popular musicians from the Upper East Region and beyond, including the astute King Ayisoba are expected to grace the occasion.

Popularly known as ‘Sam. A. I am’ in the music industry, Mr Asaa
is a native of Gambibgo, in the Bolgatanga East District but is currently based in California, United States of America.

Mr Asaa, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Asaa Music, told the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the exercise that it was his ambition to assist in the development of the region in any way he could.

He said the first edition of the initiative, which was held in 2023, offered free opportunity for more than 700 vulnerable people to renew their NHIS cards to access affordable healthcare and added that he was committed to helping more people.

‘I have had reports of people dying because they do not have health insurance or are not able to renew so I feel if the health insurance card can save lives, then I have to help those that I can help to save their lives,’ he said.

He said unemployment was still a major issue in Ghana and the Upper East Region, in particular, and expressed commitment to working with stakeholders in the region to find ways of creating jobs for the growing y
outh.

‘My goal right now is to help the people of Bolgatanga and help get jobs for the youth, so, I have friends who have expressed interest to help build health facilities in the communities which will create jobs for the people.

‘I will continue to do the best I can, but I also need the support of all people in the region to ensure our vision of developing comes to fruition,’ he added.

He said the concept of music is about promoting peace and development and encouraged his fellow musicians to use their talents to promote unity and rally people together to undertake development initiatives.

Mr Rex Asanga, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, commended the Musician for the initiative to help develop the region and called on other indigenes in the diaspora to emulate Mr Asaa and return to develop the region.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programmes Manager of the National Aids Control Programme (NACP), has asked seekers of care for sexually transmitted diseases to not be driven off by fear following the passage of the bill on human conduct.

Parliament passed the Family and Human Values Bill and is awaiting the President’s assent.

Data show that a significant number of STIs were being hosted by members of the same sex and queer communities and Dr Addo assured them that their health needs would not be affected even in the event of the law’s final passage.

‘All our recipients of care should not be afraid that when we are treating them, they will be arrested,’ the Programmes Manager said at the ongoing joint HIV/Tuberculosis Annual Review Meeting in Ho.

Top of the agenda at the three-day joint meeting was the overview of programmes for the years 2024 to 2026, being powered by the Global Fund’s Grant Cycle 7 (GC7), which is a 234 million dollars to help fight HIV/TB and Malaria in the country.

A target of 1.9 million p
eople would be tested for HIV under the GC7, and the Programmes Manager told the Ghana News Agency that stigma and discrimination was sure to rise and hamper the health efforts with the passage of the human conduct law.

‘The law would have a certain impact, but we will do our best to manage it. Health workers take care of everybody irrespective of their sexual conduct,’ he said.

Mr. Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, Acting Chairman of the Country Coordinating Mechanism of the Global Fund, said it was ‘quite worried about recent developments in the country.

‘The new law is going to place some impediments in our way as health workers,’ he added, calling for key populations affected to not be denied access to care.

He said the Global Fund had so far invested US$1.2 billion in the country, sustaining some 254,000 people on TB and HIV treatment.

He appealed to the Government to ensure the availability of domestic resources, including counterpart funding to help fight the diseases.

The annual joint TB/HIV review brough
t heads of the Ghana Health Service from across the Regions, and various stakeholders, including the WHO, UNICEF, and CSOs as well as health research institutions.

Mr. Patrick Kumah Aboagye, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, in a speech read on his behalf at the opening, commended the significant strides in the fight against HIV and Aids.

He mentioned ‘remarkable progress’ during the year under review and said efforts should be made to address delays in the disbursement of funds.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Clifford Vengkumwini, the Sissala East Municipal Director of Health, has decried the seemingly poor image generated from the over-aged X-ray machine, saying it was drawing quality health services backward.

Mr Vengkunmwini also identified critical challenges that were confronting the health sector and preventing the facility from delivering one-stop quality services to the clients in the area in the face of a remarkable increase in outpatient attendance.

He said, ‘The Municipal hospital runs on an outmoded, x-ray machine that produces poor quality imaging. Hence most clients requiring x-ray services are referred to unfortunately a much younger district for such services and this is delaying access to health care in real time’.

Mr Vengkumwini raised the concern during this year’s health review session of the Ghana Health Service and other partners at Tumu.

The other challenge hampering health services, he said, was patients sharing space with dead bodies.

He explained that ‘When a death occurs at the ho
spital, the body is required to be separated from the living immediately but in the case of the Tumu hospital, the situation is different.

‘Corpses stay over 24 hours in undesignated areas because there is no morgue for the dead’.

The Director also bemoaned the inadequate laboratory services in the area and its negative effect on quality health care in disease diagnosis for treatment.

‘It is sad to note that the Sissala East Municipality has only three laboratories out of eight health centers, a polyclinic and a hospital with 52 CHPS zones.

The remaining health centers need laboratory services to ease the burden of pregnant women having to travel many kilometers on inappropriate means of transport for their routine labs’, he said.

The theme for this year’s review conference was ‘Fostering Collaboration: Engaging Stakeholders in Reducing Maternal and perinatal Mortalities through a Resilient Healthcare System’ which Management carefully selected after a systematic review of the performance.

Maternal and
perinatal health are fundamental indicators of the overall well-being of a society and are closely linked to broader issues such as poverty, education, and gender equality.

Mr Vengkumwini highlighted some of the activities that were conducted across the health care facilities, including the capacity building for midwives on the management of postpartum hemorrhage, helping mothers and babies survive, long-acting reversible contraceptives, conducting breast screening for adolescents in schools for early detection of cancers.

He said management also embarked on a data collection exercise to enumerate foreign immigrants.

Dr Damien Punguyire, the Upper West Regional Director of Health, in a speech read on his behalf said the mandate of the health services was to ensure good health for all and implored the partners to bring out issues that would contribute to the growth of the health sector in lifting it from challenges.

Mr Fuseini Yakubu Batong, the Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive, congratulated the hea
lth service staff and advised churches, and mosques to educate their members about the annual warm weather season and the possible outbreak of cerebral spinal meningitis.

Professor Sanlinwia Salifu Mumuni, Principal of the Tumu College of Education, who chaired the function extolled all to take health issues seriously.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Peter Amadu Mintir, Executive Director, Total Life Enhancement Centre (TOLEC-GH), a psychology focused NGO, has called on educational institutions to incorporate psychological assessment in their mandatory medical examinations for students.

He said this would help to identify and address underlying mental health issues that might hinder students’ academic performance and overall well-being.

He made the call when addressing students and other stakeholders at a forum dubbed: ‘Empower You Summit’, held in Tamale.

It was organised by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) of the University for Development Studies (UDS) in partnership with TOLEC-GH and the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-GH).

It was on the theme: ‘Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: Balancing Mental Wellness, Students Advocacy and Academic Excellence.’

Mr Mintir said it was unfortunate that mental health was not considered as part of the students’ medical examination request by educational institutions.

He called for i
mmediate measures to reverse the trend to promote inclusivity.

Mr Issah Abdul-Manan, UDS – NUGS President, said the forum was to enhance advocacy on mental health and the need for students to brace themselves up for leadership positions in key national institutions.

He said an average university student in the country was confronted with numerous challenges ranging from finances to academic activities exposing them to serious mental health hazards.

He called on government to implement policies and programmes on mental health to develop a healthier and more innovative workforce for the country.

Madam Wedad Sayibu, Director, School for Life, who spoke on the importance of female leadership for national development, urged young women not to underestimate their potentials and abilities to ensure positive change.

She told them not to be discouraged by the difficulties confronting them today saying those challenges were meant to make them resilient and courageous leaders.

Mr Sule Salifu, Tamale Metropolitan C
hief Executive urged the students to prioritise acquiring self-employable skills to enable them to start their own businesses and create more jobs to support government’s industrialisation drive.

Mrs Mary Braimah, from the Counseling Unit, UDS advised the students to learn and work hard to minimise examination stress and pressure.

Source: Ghana News Agency

GOSANET Foundation, a Health Non-Govermental Organisation (NGO) operating in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region, is advocating a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan to ensure the safety, security and well-being of communities in the district during epidemics.

Proactive budgetary allocation towards the plan was very important to achieve the desired results, Mr Samuel Yao Atidzah, the Executive Director of the NGO, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Ho on Monday.

He said the Foundation was working to empower local assemblies to effectively integrate emergency preparedness strategies into local action plans to fight epidemics.

The threat of epidemics could have far-reaching economic and social consequences on the people, therefore the assemblies must create the necessary mechanisms and empower the people to prevent diseases, Mr Atidzah said.

‘We want to emphasize the importance of preventive measures to minimize the adverse effect of epidemics,’ he said.

By fostering collaboration betw
een local authorities, Healthcare professionals and community members, GOSANET sought to develop emergency response mechanisms tailored to the unique needs of the people.

Mr Atidzah urged the Adaklu District Assembly to coordinate resources and streamline communication channels to provide information to the people to make informed decisions.

‘By investing in proactive measures and integrating emergency preparedness into local governance structures, we could mitigate the socio-economic impact of epidemics and safeguard the wellbeing of the people,’ he stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has urged institutions and the public to inspect valid food hygiene permits before contracting catering institutions.

The FDA said it could not guarantee the quality of operations and safety of food sold in unlicensed food service establishments, hence the need for those engaging their services to ensure those engaged were licensed.

A statement signed by the FDA and copied to the Ghana News Agency asked institutional canteens or caterers who did not have food hygiene permits to immediately take steps to regularise their activities with the FDA.

The statement said by applying for food hygiene permits and making their facilities available for food safety inspections would ensure that only safe food was served to the public.

‘According to the FDA, a Food Service Establishment operating without a valid Food Hygiene Permit from the Authority is in violation of Section 130 (1) of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851).’

Section 130 (1) of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act
851) states that, ‘A person shall not manufacture for sale, sell, supply or store products regulated under this part except in premises registered for that purpose under this Part.’

Food Service Establishment is an operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends, or otherwise provides food for human consumption such as a restaurant, bakery, canteen, online food business, institutional caterer, chop bar and fast-food service.

The FDA said canteens of schools, hospitals and all corporate institutions were to ensure that their food service facilities were inspected and licensed by FDA.

The FDA cautioned that all unlicensed Food Service Establishments that failed to acquire the Food Hygiene Permit by 29th February 2024 would attract the requisite regulatory sanctions which might include the closure of facilities, fines and/or criminal prosecutions.

The Authority encouraged the public to always look out for the Food Hygiene Permit, which must be displayed at the facility and visible to the public and
to report Food Service Establishments that did not have the permit to the FDA.

Source: Ghana News Agency