Medical and Dental Council Team Assesses UCC SMS

A team from the Medical and Dental Council (MDC), Ghana, has begun assessment of training facilities and academic programmes of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

The assessment is in line with Part II of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 2013 (ACT 857), which enjoins the MDC to ensure that training facilities and programmes of Medical and Dental institutions meet required standards.

The Registrar of the MDC, Dr Divine N. Banyubala, at a meeting with the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Denis Aheto, and the faculty of SMS, said the exercise formed part of the Council’s mandate as the regulatory body for medical training and practice in Ghana.

“It is the core statutory duty provided under section 27 of Part II of Act 857 that the Council shall assess facilities and contents of programmes for the training of doctors and dentists and physician assistants in training institutions,” he explained.

He added that the MDC team, based on their findings, would write a quality assessment report and recommend accreditation/re-accreditation/ provisional accreditation or no accreditation for the UCC SMS.

Dr. Banyubala, therefore, indicated that the checklist of inspection included governance structure, academic programme, staffing norms, student selection and admission policy, students, and students’ welfare, among others.

For his part, Prof. Aheto thanked the MDC for its diligence to ensure Medical and Dentistry institutions in the country adhered to standards to produce quality medical professionals.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor used the occasion to appeal to MDC to increase the UCC medical students enrolment from 160 to 200 to reduce the pressure on the university from hordes of applicants who want to pursue medicine.

Prof. Aheto praised the MDC for its commitment to professionalism and effective monitoring of Medical and dental institutions in the country.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC