The Ghana Medical and Dental Council will maintain the examination for foreign trained doctors who want to work in Ghana.
According to the registrar, Dr. Eli Atikpui the examination has been backed by law since the year 2000.
Speaking to Citi News Dr. Atikpui restated that the examination is compulsory for all foreign-trained doctors adding that even individuals who are not beneficiary of government scholarship have participated in the examination in the past.
“The board will not be in the position to scrap this examination that has been conducted since the year 2000. We have had doctors that were trained from Russia, China, Ukraine taking part in the exams even though they were not under a government sponsorship and they have all been assessed by the individual institution. So in that respect, that is what earns them the qualification that they have to get to Ghana to be called doctors. But again, irrespective of whatever qualifications that they may have obtained they are required to write the counsel’s examination to get registered at whatever level.”
Dr. Eli Atikpui also highlighted the processes that foreign-trained doctors would undergo to access the board test organized by the Medical and Dental Council.
“You get to the medical and dental counsel, complete a registration examination form, attach the requisite form pay the requisite fee or the prescribed fee, then you go in for the examination.”
This comment follows a request by the group of 221 Cuban-trained Ghanaian doctors for the mandatory examination to be scrapped to enhance their integration into the Ghana Health Service.
Background
The over 200 doctors, drawn from every district, were sent to Cuba under the Mills administration to be trained as doctors as part of a special level of cooperation. This was based on the relation between Cuba and Ghana.
