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NAB finalises programme accreditation for Physician Assistants – Health Minister

By
Dennis Peprah, GNA

Kintampo, (BE/R), Oct. 22, GNA – Programme
Accreditation for Physician Assistants at the Kintampo College of Health and
Well-being (CoHWK) has been approved, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, the Minister of
Health has said.

He said the National Accreditation Board was
finalising processes and very soon, the accreditation for the programme would
be announced.

Speaking at the 7th graduation ceremony of
the College held at Kintampo in the Bono East Region, Mr. Agyemang-Manu
directed the College not to introduce any programme until the accreditation was
received.

A total of 2,746 students graduated from the
Departments of Community Health, Health Information, Community Mental Health,
Community Medicine and Health, Oral Health and Medical Diagnostics.

The ceremony coincided with the 50th
anniversary celebration of the College on the theme: “50 Years of Training
Health Professionals, The Relevance of College of Health and Well-being in
Ghana and the Way Forward”.

Mr. Agyemang-Manu said the Health Ministry
recognised the numerous challenges – infrastructure, affiliation,
transportation, utility bills, financial clearance for employment, confronting
the College, saying, “all those challenges would be addressed very soon.”

He said works had begun through the joint
efforts of the Ministry and the College for the construction of an ultra-modern
storey building complex to serve as lecture halls and office space for
effective teaching and learning.

Mr. Agyemang-Manu indicated that the CoHWK
had contributed immensely in professional character moulding and inspiring the
requisite ethical and moral values in healthcare professionals for sustainable
quality healthcare provision in achieving Universal Health Coverage.

He observed that the numerous health
challenges Ghana faced were not local, but global in nature, hence, the
Ministry was ensuring that public health training institutions curriculum,
reflected international standards.

Dr. Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, the Director of
the institution said the College started with 16 students in 1969, had about
200 in 2001 but now has about 4,433 including sandwich students.

It has 3,245 regular and 1,188 sandwich
students and offered 14 programmes.

Dr. Opoku-Adusei said the student population
continued to grow, saying, due to inadequate infrastructure, the College was
able to admit only 1,175 fresh students out of the 3,713 applicants who attended
the selection interview for the 2019/2020 academic year.

He emphasised that the CoHWK was committed
to achieving its vision to be a world-class health university that would
respond to the health needs of communities and expressed the hope that the
Ministry of Health, government and stakeholders would assist and support the
College to achieve the vision.

Mr. Kofi Amoakohene, the Bono East Regional
Minister, said the government was determined to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goal Three (3) of Good Health and Well-being to ensure a healthy
life and promote the well-being of all at all ages.

The government has revived the National
Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and is also developing a comprehensive primary
health care package that will lead to better health outcomes, and lower cost of
health care, he added.

Mr. Amoakohene advised Ghanaians who had
still not registered with the NHIS to do so, to easily access quality health
care delivery at all times and everywhere in Ghana.

GNA

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