The Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah has called on tertiary institutions particularly those in the health sector to take advantage of the emerging advancement in technologies and health crises to design curriculum that would meet the needs of the people.
He said the health sector was in a constant flux with technological advancements, rising patient expectations, financial constraints and public health crises like pandemics.
All these, according to him, presented an opportunity for institutions with “leaders who can navigate the complexities with vision and resilience” to lead the way and take advantage to design courses that would prepare the students to still be relevant in the job market in the near future.
Rethinking:
Prof Addai-Mensah said there was the need for a collective rethinking of how institutions of higher learning, especially the private ones offering healthcare-related courses, could prepare their students to meet and manage the evolving challenges in the healthcare landscape of the country and the world.
He was speaking at the theme: “Navigating the Future in Higher Education: The Role of Innovation and Strategic Leadership” at the 16th congregation of the Garden City University College (GCUC), in Kenyase, in the Kwabre East District in the Ashanti Region.
Prof Addai-Mensah explained that the globalisation and technological advancements have made it such that people’s expectation of healthcare services were constantly evolving with demands for specialised healthcare and services on a rising trajectory.
“While this may pose some challenges to the existing healthcare systems, it also presents a boundless ground of opportunity especially if the tertiary institutions offering health courses have anticipated these emerging needs and designed training programmes to prepare their students to respond to them,” he said.
Training:
He therefore called on the institutions in the training of health personnel to embrace innovation and have the ability to anticipate and prepare their students for the challenges of the future.
“Private tertiary institutions, like all institutions of higher learning, must stay grounded in their core mission of the pursuit of knowledge and the development of human resources that provide solutions to the challenges of society,” he urged.
New programmes:
Addressing the graduands, the Acting President of GCUC, Nana K. Owusu Kwarteng said as part of its innovations, the management of the university has diploma programmes to assist those with weak secondary school results to access course that would enable them to pursue degree courses.
The programmes are Diploma in Business Administration, Diploma in Librarianship Studies, Diploma in Computerised Accounting and Diploma in Environmental, Health and Safety.
The programmes were designed such that those who acquire their diploma certifications would gain access to pursue their degree programmes in similar courses.
The objective was to provide an avenue for everyone to acquire tertiary education and the necessary skills and training that would equip them to fit into the job to earn a living.
Niche
he said over the years, Garden City University College has carved a niche for itself in the training of health personnel in the country and two years ago, introduced the MPhil in Midwifery.
Nana Kwarteng said the university has this year added the MPhil in Nursing and Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes all geared towards equipping the health personnel in the country with the needed skills to fit into the current job market.
Other programmes available at the University include Bachelor in Business Administration with options in Accounting, Marketing, Management, Banking and Finance, Human Resource Management and Procurement and Supply Chain Management.
Advice
He advised the graduands to let the training they received from the university be their guide as they venture into the professional world and to be good ambassadors of GCUC.
Story By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi
