Kumasi, March 3, GNA – The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has invited corporate organisations and philanthropists to partner with the institution to expand its facilities to enhance the training of medical and dental students.
According to the authorities, collaboration was necessary to ensure the training of more medical professionals to strengthen the country’s healthcare delivery.
KNUST, Ghana’s foremost science and technology tertiary educational institution, had over the last four decades been instrumental in the training of medical students.
However, inadequate facilities had limited the University’s ability to increase substantially the intake of medical students, with an average of 300 fresh students being admitted for each of the last two academic years.
Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, the KNUST Pro-Vice-Chancellor, speaking at the inauguration of the University’s refurbished VALCO Hostel at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), in Kumasi, said there was the need for the nation to invest in medical education.
The facility was renovated by the VALCO Trust Fund at the cost of about GH₵1.5million to accommodate clinical students.
Prof. Owusu-Dabo expressed the University’s gratitude to the VALCO Trust Fund for the support and urged other corporate organisations to follow such an example.
He indicated that given the critical nature of medical education such a refurbished facility was appropriate in serving the interest of medical students.
Prof. Christian Agyare, Provost of the College of Health Sciences, affirmed the College’s resolve to deliver quality medical education to enhance the country’s human resource development.
According to him, the clinical training of medical students was a necessity as it helped them to get some level of clinical competency before getting to work on patients, which was in line with global trends in medical education.
Prof. Daniel Ansong, Dean, KNUST School of Medicine and Dentistry, said the University was committed to maintaining the Hostel to ensure its longevity, saying the facility had been key in accommodating clinical students over the years.
Mr Kelvin Kwaku Yeboah, the acting Executive Director, VALCO Trust Fund, said the Fund had in the last 50 years supported the government’s efforts in advancing education and science.
He said this covered the introduction of the Library Development Project, Science Equipment for Schools and Colleges and Tertiary Students Accommodation Project, among others.
GNA