• Registrar asks for establishment of Allied Health College
• Minister assures of government’s commitment to Allied Health education
The Registrar of the Allied Health Professions Council, Dr. Samuel Yaw Opoku, has called on the Health Ministry to oversee the phasing out of the current 4-year bachelors programmes and replace it with professional doctorate courses.
Speaking at the Induction and Oath Swearing Ceremony for Newly Qualified Allied Health Graduates for the year 2021, Dr. Yaw Opoku commended the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government for its efforts in ensuring employment for allied health graduates over the period.
While commending the government, the Registrar tabled two requests including one which is seeking for government to establish an Allied Health College. The other seeks to convert existing allied health programmes into six-year duration programmes which will lead to the awarding of doctorate degrees.
“We request for the commitment and support from the Ministry of Health to the Council, in its bid to phase out the current 4-year bachelors of allied health programmes to be replaced with the 6-year professional doctorates. Prof. Chairman, it is significant to note that Ghana Government, through the Ministry of Health, has rectified these programmes developed by the West African Health Organization (WAHO).
“The introduction of two of the programmes, namely, Doctor of Optometry and Doctor of Medical Laboratory Sciences have been confronted with several challenges. It is our hope and prayer, that the Ministry will give equal recognition and support as has been done for similar programmes, for example Doctor of Pharmacy programme,” Dr Opoku stated.
In a word to the over 500 graduates who were inducted at the ceremony held at the Accra International Conference Center on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, Dr Yaw Opoku urged them to use their one-year mandatory National Service to acquire additional skills and knowledge that aids them pass the Council’s Professional and Licensure Examination.
“It is my fervent hope that as you leave here today as graduates of allied health professions, you would work together with other health professionals to building a very strong health care team that will place the welfare of the clients and the Ghanaian population above all other interests.
“Finally, please be guided by a true sense of brotherliness, sense of nationhood and help build Mother Ghana to the state we can all be very proud of. Please you should endeavor to limit the use of strike actions and picketing as means to getting your grievances resolved,” he added.
On his part, the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr Kwabena Oko-Afari, emphasized the commitment of government in promoting allied health education.
Relating the role of allied health professionals to the theme of the event – “Effective Management of COVID-19: The Role of the Allied Health Professional,” Mr Agyeman Manu said allied health professionals at the core of their duty play a very important role in health care delivery.
“There is no doubt that allied health professionals continue to play very important roles in health care delivery in the country. And whether Ghana can succeed in achieving total control of the pandemic will depend on the collective efforts of all health professionals but talking in particular, those of you in the allied health profession. All the testing are done by the allied health professionals and they constitute a key part of a multi-disciplinary team in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic” he said.
The 2021 Allied Health Professional Council induction ceremony was chaired by the Chairman of the Council’s Governing Board, Prof. Kwame Augustine Kyere and also had in attendance the World Health Organization Representative to Ghana, Dr Francis Chisaka Kasolo.
