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Ghanaian trained doctors are exceptional – Prof Jectey Hesse
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● Prof Jectey Hesse
The President of Accra College of Medicine, Prof Afua Adwo Jectey Hesse, has described the quality of medical training in Ghana as excellent, compared with what pertained in some countries.
According to her, “medical doctors in Ghana are trained in all the disciplines in medicine, after which they do their housemanship in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology. After the completion of the housemanship, a doctor chooses a post-graduate programme in a particular discipline.”
Prof Jectey Hesse said doctors in Ghana were trained to become Primary Health Care Practitioners, and this had enabled them to take care of a good range of diseases in the country.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator, she said the rigorous medical training package in the country was what had made Ghanain doctors to be in high demand outside the country because of the experience they had gained at the lower level, as compared with doctors trained in many places outside the country.
According to her, some medical students trained outside Ghana, for example, were not allowed to touch their patients during the clinical period.
She said one would realise that their training was basically theoretical.
“How can you do your clinical training for three years without touching a patient?, she asked rhetorically.
She advised parents to desist from compelling their children to read medicine and other courses against their wish or beyond their capabilities because all children were not endowed in the same way.
Prof Hesse advised students, especially those who read General Science at the Senior High School but could not gain admission to read medicine, not to lose hope but persevere in their studies, and better their grades, adding that medicine could be read after the first degree provided one was determined and remained focused.
“Get the skills and competences which will make you to become a good doctor. We have doctors who are reading law, agronomy and studying for post- graduate programmes in Information Communication Technology (ICT), developing apps to come out with innovations to aid in the field of medicine,” she advised.
Prof Jectey Hesse said a survey conducted by the Public Sector a couple of years ago had revealed that it cost at least an equivalent of $15.000.00 to train a medical student a year in Ghana.
She explained that in public institutions, the government in particular and often with the assistance from corporate bodies, took care of tuition, facilities, equipment and everything which were involved in the training of students.
Even though invariably due to the large numbers of students admitted to the public institutions, the facilities and trainers could not keep pace with the numbers.
She said, unfortunately, the private institutions had to do everything by themselves without any assistance from even corporate bodies.
She had advocated the establishment of a dedicated Children’s Hospital in the country which would be equipped with all the facilities to facilitate the full range of disciplines and treatment for children.
She indicated that three theatres which were refurbished at the Paediatric Block of the Korle-Teaching Hospital were over stretched because of the increasing number of patients these days.
By Raymond Kyekye
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
