The College of Health Sciences (CHS) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is set to launch a $10 million Endowment Fund on October 30, 2024, with the aim of raising the targeted amount over the next five years. The initiative seeks to improve infrastructure, boost research, and increase enrollment at the institution.

The Endowment Fund will support the training of high-quality health professionals, conduct critical health research, particularly focusing on local diseases, and provide scholarships for both graduate and undergraduate students. 

Additionally, it will aid in acquiring essential equipment and creating opportunities to retain health science graduates, addressing the challenges facing the country’s healthcare sector.

Speaking at a media engagement on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, in Accra, Professor Daniel Ansong, Chairman of the Endowment Fund Board, representing Prof. Christian Agyare, Provost of the College, highlighted the growing number of qualified applicants each year, with only a fraction being admitted due to limited infrastructure. 

He noted that many prospective students either accepted offers from other institutions or left the country after failing to secure their preferred programmes.

Prof. Ansong further explained that the College admits the lowest percentage of qualified applicants compared to other KNUST colleges, primarily due to the lack of adequate facilities needed for training healthcare professionals. Regulatory bodies such as the Medical and Dental Council, Pharmacy Council, and Allied Health Councils also impose quotas based on available infrastructure.

He noted that with the completion of the Boadi Medical Village, student intake nearly doubled from 2,907 in 2019 to 4,338 in 2020, demonstrating how expanding infrastructure could increase admissions. However, the Dean stressed that inadequate laboratory facilities, particularly in basic sciences, continue to limit the College’s capacity to train more students.

Prof. Ansong warned that if these infrastructure gaps are not addressed, healthcare education could become accessible only to the wealthy, leaving behind many qualified but underprivileged students. This, he argued, would have long-term negative effects on the country’s ability to provide quality healthcare.

“We are calling on all stakeholders—corporate Ghana, alumni, and parents—to support the Endowment Fund to ensure we can train more healthcare professionals,” he stated.

The CHS consists of seven schools and faculties, including the School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the School of Nursing and Midwifery. It also houses notable research centres such as the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine.

The co-chair of the Advisory Board, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang assured stakeholders that the Fund would be managed with full accountability and transparency, and urged the media to help raise awareness for the initiative.

Other members of the 13-member Advisory Board include co-Chairman Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, the Special Advisor on Health, Office of the President; Dr Jemima Dennis-Antwi, the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Centre for Health Development and Research; Dr Paul Sekyere Nyantakyi, CEO of MDS-Lancet; Ernest Bediako Sampong, CEO of Ernest Chemist Ltd; Dr Samuel Amo Tobbin, CEO of Entrance Pharmaceuticals, and Mr Kofi Nsiah-Poku, CEO of Kinapharma Pharmaceutical Ltd.

The rest are Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, the CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority; Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, CEO of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital; Dr Kwame Ofosu Bamfo, CEO of Alisa Hotel, and Dr Barima Kwabena Owusu Dapaah, CEO and Founder of Family Link Money Transfer Inc.