Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons holds medical knowledge fiesta
Physicians and Surgeons from Ghana and the Diaspora have converged in Accra to share and update their knowledge on how to help improve the health service delivery in the country and the Sub-region.
The five-day Medical Knowledge Fiesta is a maiden convergence programme under the College’s continuing Medical Education Conference for 2011.
It is on the theme; “Cutting Edge Updates for Medical Practice in Ghana”.
Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Health in a speech read for him at the opening session on Monday, commended the organisers for involving experts from the Diaspora.
He said Ghana would benefit greatly from such collaborative efforts and to a larger extent other countries in the West African Sub-region which often failed to accord research its eminent and rightful place in the planning and implementation of health sector programmes.
Mr Yieleh Chireh said: “This is because in our struggle to improve health of the people, we have to spend most of our resources in the management of preventable and easily treatable diseases for which basic knowledge and management techniques exist.”
He expressed worry about the fact that even though the Sub-region was making some progress, most countries now had a double of diseases as a result of increased incidence of non-communicable diseases.
Mr Yieleh Chireh explained that in many developing countries such as Ghana, the mix of persistent, new and re-emerging infectious and increasing chronic conditions and injuries had led to fundamental changes in the volume and composition of demand for health care, with a more complex case mix and a more costly service utilisation patterns.
He said unfortunately, Ghana had documented evidence which implicated the poorly kept and unhygienic environment as well as the changing lifestyles which were characterised by poor eating habits and lack of exercise some of the factors which led to commonly occurring diseases.
Mr Yieleh Chireh said there were other broader issues of multi-sectoral origin such as development planning which included basic infrastructure like road and housing and that key amenities like water and electricity also impinged on health development.
He said lack of enforcement of basic laws including laws on occupational safety and health hazards had led to indiscipline in the society and specifically contributed to numerous occupational and traffic accidents with high human and economic tolls.
Mr Yieleh Chireh said, unfortunately, response of the health sector to these challenges had been limited due to lack of capacity to conduct extensive and decisive health impact assessment of development projects and programmes.
He noted that the supporting legal framework to enforce the provisions of such assessment remained one of the key gaps that needed to be developed especially within developing countries.
Mr Yieleh Chireh underscored the importance of inter-sectoral collaboration and the need to find new technologies and related skills.
He, therefore, urged the participants to examine the question of cooperation in the context of capacity development and in particular deliberate on issues of constraints which impeded the ultimate use of existing structures and facilities.
Professor Kofi Awoonor, Chairman of Council of State, challenged the Rector of the College to consolidate the initial achievement of harnessing the continuing medical professional development from the Diaspora and regularise it on the College’s calendar.
He acknowledged that Ghana had challenges of attaining the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), access to health care and the general growing population and conceded that there was more to be done to meet the target than just health “but certainly, a healthy nation is a happy productive nation.”
Professor David Ofori-Adjei, Rector of the College, said he looked forward for the implementation of other activities that would be discussed to support the professional development of medical practitioners in the country.
Professor Paul Nyame, Director of the College, called for support and collaboration from government in pursuit of its objectives, which would lead to better health and contribute to the happiness of Ghanaians.
He called for the re-opening of discussions with the relevant training institutions to re-organise the Continuous Professional Development on a nation-wide scale as part of its mandate and objective under the law.
Professor Nyame expressed concern about the absence of instructional and corporate ideas in enriching Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Bill, which were being stalled.
“We have not made any contributions to the review of the health laws – except our own parochial law. We have said little about indiscipline on our roads and other spheres of national life that affect health like urban planning and sanitation.
“Our aim is not to become a group to castigate Ministers or their Advisors but policy makers are entitled to advice and reasoned commentary from a dispassionate professional and seasoned source such as what we provide,” Prof. Nyame added.
Source: GNA