Allied Health personnel inducted

stethoscopeThe Allied Health Professions Council, which is the regulatory body for Allied Health Professionals in Ghana, on Friday held an induction ceremony for 289 new graduates for the commencement of their mandatory 12-month internship programme.

The graduates, who had completed various professional allied Health programmes, include radiographers, optometrists, biomedical scientists, physiotherapists, dieticians, medical physicists and audiologists among other groups.

They were led by Justice (Mrs) Patience Mills-Tetteh, a High Court Judge, to swear the Allied Health Oath, which binds them to maintain the highest principles of moral, ethical and legal conducts and to embrace and advocate for positive change that would improve client and general health care.

Professor Seth Ayettey, a Medical Doctor and Professor of Anatomy at the University of Ghana, in an address congratulated the new graduates for their academic successes.

He, however, reminded them of the importance of team work in the achievement of good results and urged them to be submissive to their senior colleagues in order to benefit from their rich experiences.

According to him, it was a fact that the various professions under Allied Health complemented each other’s role to achieve quality healthcare delivery therefore any effort to break the cycle could affect the general performance of the health sector.

The organisers of the programme had chosen the theme: “Achieving the MDG’s on Health in Ghana: The Role of Allied Health Professionals”, to highlight the important role of such professionals in achieving improved health care for Ghanaians within the stipulated period and beyond.

Prof. Ayettey who was the guest speaker at the ceremony, underscored the important role of Allied Health Professionals in attaining the various Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly maternal and child health.

He indicated that achieving the health related MDGs would therefore require quality and improved human resources through improved training of such professionals.

He then paid tribute to the late President John Evans Atta-Mills for establishing the first University of Health and Allied Sciences to provide specialized training for this group of health professionals.

He stressed that the country was currently on its way to correct the imbalances in her health care delivery system by improving academic quality and research in all disciplines.

Prof. Ayettey indicated that although Ghana was doing well in reducing maternal and child mortality rates, the pace had been too slow and would require the combine effort of health care professionals, government and the private sector to change attitudes, improve infrastructure and provide funding for improved access and care to vulnerable groups.

Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Health, affirmed Government’s commitment towards the development of the professions to ensure high standards of health care to Ghanaians.

She also said Government was working on ensuring the swift passage of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act to provide the necessary legal framework and regulate the training and practice of Allied Health Professions.

She pledged the Ministry’s commitments towards assisting the Allied Health Professions Council in the areas of accommodation, transport and other logistics to enable it achieve its mandate.

Souce: GNA

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