18th Annual General and Scientific Meeting Communique

The 18^th Annual General and Scientific Meeting of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons took place (virtually and in-person) from the 6^th to 10^th December, 2021 under the theme “Impact of COVID-19 On Healthcare and Medical Training In Ghana: Lessons Learned And The Way Forward”

HIGHLIGHTS

• Public Lecture: A public lecture was given on the 1^st December, 2021 on the theme “Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The New Normal”
• Preconference workshops: The Faculties of Emergency Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Child Health, Psychiatry, Dental Surgery and Ophthalmology organized educational workshops on 6^th December, 2021
• Induction Ceremony: There were two separate induction ceremonies for the Divisions of Physicians and Surgeons on 8^th December, 2021.
• A total of 25 Elected Fellows, 37 Fellows by Examination and 355 Members were inducted. This is the highest number so far in a single year, since the establishment of the College.
• The new Rector of the College, Prof. Richard Adanu was inducted into office
• The Minister of Health, Honourable Kwaku Agyeman-Manu (through a representative) and the Guest Speaker, Professor Christian Agyare (Provost, College of Allied Sciences-KNUST) delivered speeches based on the theme.
• Scientific Sessions: There was a total of 22 oral presentations made (virtually) by members and fellows of the College
• College Lecture: Professor Irene Akua Agyepong delivered a lecture on“Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare and Medical Training in Ghana: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward”
• Ethics Seminar: The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council, Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala made a presentationon “The Ethics of COVID-19 Vaccination”

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KEY OBSERVATIONS

Impact of COVID-19 on Post-graduate training:

• COVID-19 resulted in closure of academic institutions with timeline delays.
• Inadequate Personal Protective Equipment to utilize during training.
• With the restrictions of COVID-19, the College fully embraced the move to virtual and hybrid meetings and training. sessions with support from the ICT and administrative teams.
• The COVID-19 era spurred on the move to conduct computer-based testing for the first time this year.

Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare:

• Advancement in telemedicine has been advantageous for reduced patient and clinical practitioner contact which enabled prompt delivery of medical care.
• the lockdown, with its attendant parental supervision, led to a reduction in swallowed and aspirated foreign objects in the throat in children. 
• COVID-19 caused significant delays in OPD attendance, chemotherapy sessions and surgery appointments for breast cancer patients.
• The virus has negatively impacted the lives of the elderly – physically, mentally, socially, financially, and in many other indirect ways.
• There is fatigue and mental stress on many health workers especially at treatment centres.
• There is a clear challenge with vaccine hesitancy and vaccine uptake due to a lack of understanding of how vaccines work, erroneous religious beliefs etc.
• Along with logistical challenges and limited ICUs to manage severe cases, a fourth wave could be devastating.

Other Observations:

• Members and Fellows performed well in this year’s examinations with a pass rate greater than 70% in all examinations.
• Almost 1500 specialists have graduated since 2007, however, less than 200 have enrolled in Fellowship programmes to become consultants (and trainers).
• Partnership with KNUST and other local universities to run joint Fellowship-PhD and Membership-MPhil programmes to support an academic, research and clinical pathway to training is underway.
• Partnership with UK Colleges for curricula review and training is starting with faculties of Anaesthesia, Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine.

RECOMMENDATIONS

To government and other stakeholders:

• It is imperative that government enforces compliance to the protocols, continues to work to ensure vaccine availability and put in measures to ensure that majority of Ghanaians get vaccinated.
• Religious, traditional, political and other leaders should encourage their members to adhere to the protocols and get vaccinated where vaccines are available.
• Corporate bodies and media houses should use their platforms to support public education on COVID-19.
• COVID-19 precautionary measures need to be optimized to make the hospital environment safe for patients and staff alike, and to avoid delays in patient care.
• The elderly should be prioritized for greater support and more flexible work arrangements made especially for parents of young children during this pandemic.
• Local innovations should be consolidated to promote self-reliance in the strengthening of health systems.
• Continuous research and publication will help explain the trends and disparities seen in the impact of COVID-19, and also help policy planning.

To the College:

• Continue to collaborate closely with Ministry of Health to devise policies that will facilitate smooth and prompt transition into fellowship training programmes.
• Improve access to training by decentralization of training sites across the country.
• Develop a critical mass of faculty that will be engaged in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical training.
• Engage in public-private partnerships to build centres of excellence.
• Decentralize teaching through e-learning methods to close research gaps and to consider open book summative assessments.

MEMBERS OF 1^ST COMMUNIQUE COMMITTEE FOR 18^TH AGSM

1. Dr John Nkrumah-Mills (Chair)
2. Dr Naa Okaikor Addison (Secretary)
3. Dr Maame-Boatemaa Amissah-Arthur (Member)
4. Prof Joseph Seffah (Member)
5. Dr Benedict Calys-Tagoe (Member)
6. Dr Henry Lawson (Member)