Medical Council Announces New Policy For Foreign-Trained Doctors

The Board of Ghana’s Medical and Dental Council has announced the decision to consider a policy for foreign-trained Ghanaian doctors.

According to the council, the policy will address the incessant failure of the Medical and Dental Council’s licensure examination by foreign-trained Ghanaian professionals.

It could be recalled that barely a week ago; about 157 foreign-trained Ghanaian doctors were reported to have failed the Medical and Dental Council (MDC)’s examination, which granted them licenses to practice in Ghana.

The bi-annual examination is to ensure that doctors trained in other countries have the requisite knowledge and skill to offer medical and dental care to patients in the country.

For the past 19 years, more than 50 per cent of foreign-trained candidates fail each year, with 157 out of 225 of them failing in the 2019 examination.

Those who sat for the exam include 208 general duty medical doctors, eight general duty dentists, eight specialists and a ‘mature’ candidate, who studied in more than 10 universities in China, Ukraine, Russia, Philippine and Belarus for six years.

The failed candidates are, however, accusing the council of deliberately failing them in order to make more money but Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council, Dr Eli Atukpui has refuted that allegation.

Speaking on Accra based Class FM, yesterday, he said the measures put in place are to ensure that people who have met the minimum requirement and are “fit to treat you and [me] in the event that we have any health challenges” are licensed to operate in the country.

“Now, we have really come out with a report, we have had a discussion on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health. We have gotten a final draft of the policy. Fortunately, the Board of the Medical and Dental Council is meeting on Thursday and then we will just put it across,” he said.

Health Desk Report