Accra: The Family Health University (FHU) has urged medical students to champion the cause of Health-for-All and commit themselves to excellence, integrity, and compassionate service. Professor Susu Bridget Kwawukume, Vice-Chancellor of FHU, emphasized the importance of shaping a more equitable, patient-centered, and proactive healthcare system during the university's matriculation and White Coat ceremonies, which formally welcomed 50 fresh medical students into the institution.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event was themed 'Pursuing Health-for-All Through Transformative Health Professionals' Education and Training.' Prof. Kwawukume highlighted that Health-for-All remains a global imperative, with millions, especially in low- and middle-income countries, lacking access to basic quality healthcare despite advancements in medicine and technology. She stressed the need to rethink the education and training of health professionals for the benefit of society.
Prof. Kwawukume stated that achieving Health-for-All begins with transformative education, involving training health professionals who are clinically competent, socially responsive, ethically grounded, technologically proficient, and community-oriented. She urged students to see themselves as drivers of transformation within the healthcare system, encouraging them to ask critical questions, embrace research and innovation, and engage communities with humility.
Addressing the importance of the Matriculation Oath, the Vice-Chancellor explained that by taking the oath, students affirm their commitment to being shaped intellectually, ethically, and professionally for the sacred duty of preserving life and promoting health. She emphasized the university's goal of producing graduates capable of adapting to rapidly changing health systems and responding effectively to local and global health challenges.
Dr Kofi Nsiah-Poku, CEO of Kinapharma, highlighted the vital role the newly admitted students will play in national development. He described healthcare as a pillar of productivity, security, and dignity and emphasized the need to strengthen local capacity in healthcare and pharmaceuticals for Ghana's advancement. Dr Nsiah-Poku urged students to embrace innovation and research from the outset of their training.
Dr Sylvester Yaw Oppong, Dean of the School of Medicine, reminded students that while the years ahead would be demanding, they would also be rewarding. He advised them to wear their white coats with humility and a deep sense of responsibility, emphasizing that medicine is a calling rather than just a career.
Ms Addo-Listowell, a matriculant, expressed appreciation to the university's management, faculty, staff, and parents and guardians for their unwavering support throughout their academic journey. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, including Brigadier General Daniel Kwadwo Frimpong (Rtd.), Chairman of the FHU Governing Council; Reverend Father Andrew Campbell, Founder of the Weija Leprosarium; and Professor Philip Odonkor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor.