Kumasi, Oct. 21, GNA – Professor Paul Nyame, President of the Medical and Dental Council, on Friday cautioned doctors against acts of impropriety that could derail the financial position of mutual health insurance schemes in their areas of operation. He noted that the formation of unholy alliances with patients to make dubious medical claims from their insurance schemes was unethical and advised doctors to desist from such practice.
Prof. Nyame gave the caution at the 12th Oath swearing ceremony of 76 newly qualified doctors of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) School of Medical Sciences (SMS) in Kumasi. He urged doctors to be guided by the ethics of their profession and show loyalty to their patients.
Prof. Nyame said emergency care was a matter of duty and appealed to doctors not to include emergency care in industrial actions. He said there was the need to inculcate a new sense of duty in doctors and advised the new doctors to always remember the benevolence of the Ghanaian taxpayer who had sacrificed for their training. Prof. Nyame said doctors had a responsibility to their patients and urged them to exhibit proper behaviour towards them. He said the Council was not happy about the intermittent strike action by doctors over the Additional Duty Hour Allowance (ADHA) and hoped the new system, which was going to replace the ADHA, would be accountable and evidence would be available to reward doctors who actually perform extra duties. Prof. Nyame said the Council would continue to initiate measures that would ensure the provision of quality training to doctors in the country.
Prof. Kwesi Andam, Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, said the university was expanding infrastructure facilities at the SMS to sustain the provision of more qualified doctors, paramedics and pharmacists for the country.
He asked management of the College of Health Sciences to advance strategies to double the intake of students into the SMS. Prof. Andam advised the new doctors to stay in the country and work to improve health care delivery of the people. Prof. Kwame Sarpong, Provost of the College of Health Sciences, advised the new doctors to be law-abiding, respect the ethics of their profession and submit to authority. He urged them to be proactive and observe the laws regulating their practice.
The new doctors in addition to the swearing of their professional oath recited the national pledge, which had been added into the oath by the Ghana Medical and Dental Council. Dr Paintsil Ama Nkyima received four awards in addition to the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) prize for overall best student.
Source: GhanaWeb
