This would be in the form of training of undergraduate and postgraduate doctors and dentists; the provision of specialist and sub-specialist healthcare services; and health research collaboration with colleagues in Ghana.

Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala, the Registrar of MDC and Dr William Kedjanyi, President of GDDA-UK, signed the MoU.

Speaking to the Ghanaian Times in an interview in Accra last Thursday Dr Banyubala said the MoU had brought to frui­tion many years of discussions between GDDA-UK executives and the Council regarding the bottleneck created by the “creden­tialling and licensing” process of UK-based Ghanaian physicians.

“Also other physicians with a vested interest in contributing to training, special, and subspecial­ty service provision, including organ/tissue transplantation procedures and health research collaboration,” he said.

According to him, the MoU would expedite the process and reduce the cost by 50 per cent, adding that another provision was a waiver of examination.

Dr Banyubala on his part stated that harnessing diasporan resourc­es and leveraging technology were at the core of the vision of the Council to boost the local training of doctors and dentists both at the general duty and specialist levels.

He said the Council was com­mitted to decentralisation of the training of doctors and dentists to suitable regional and municipal, district hospitals as a means to dealing with issues of inequity in the distribution of doctors and dentists as well as access to spe­cialist services to our people.

Dr Kedjanyi on his part, said the MoU would make it easier for GDDA-UK members to register with MDC Ghana to enable them to offer quality and safe specialist and sub-specialist medical and dental services.

He said the agreement would also help members to provide support academic activities, including teaching and research through the medical and dental schools and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS).

He commended the Ghana College of Physicians and Sur­geons for starting postgraduate training in Holy Family Hospital, Techiman and Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Takoradi.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Papa Owu­su-Ankomah, who was present at the event, said the historic event fitted into the embassy and the government’s agenda of mobilis­ing Ghanaians in the diaspora for national development.

He expressed his gratitude to the Registrar, Dr Banyubala, and the Board of the Council for their vision and commitment in provid­ing quality healthcare.

He, however, charged them to work hard to ensure that the MoU yielded the needed results.