The facility, which is valued at GH¢3 million, will train both Ghanaian doctors as well as others from Europe and Asia.

At a short ceremony to officially inaugurate the new facility at Akwatia last Friday, the Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese of the Catholic Church, Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah Agyekum, said it had become necessary to include the training of foreign doctors due to differences in demographic and disease epidemiology.

He said doctors would then be assessed by the Medical and Dental Council to be certified to practice in Ghana.

The Bishop stated that a revision programme had, therefore, been designed for the foreign-trained medical doctors intending to practice in Ghana and that they had to write the prescribed examination conducted by the Medical and Dental Council before they would be able to practice in the country.

He said under the revision programme, the medical doctors would be allowed to work with and be mentored by well-trained and experienced doctors in various health facilities.

The new medical college

Most Rev. Afrifah-Agyekum explained the programme was mainly meant for medical doctors who had completed their medical course and housemanship abroad and intended to practice medicine in Ghana.

The Administrator of the hospital, Rev. Father Ebenezer Kenneth Abban, said the new medical college would also absorb medical students studying in foreign institutions and were required to spend between nine months and one year in medical internship and electives in Ghana, to provide them with the requisite medical experience necessary to successfully pass the final medical examination.

He emphasised that the medical college had therefore planned the course specifically to provide such training for medical doctors.

He praised the Akyem Boaduahene, Barima Kwasi Agyarkwa Annor, for the role he played in the construction of the new facility and also thanked the founders of the hospital, especially the Dominican Sisters and Fathers for their foresight in establishing the hospital.

The Akyem Boaduahene appealed to the Denkyembour District Assembly to collaborate effectively with the hospital to expand and create more employment and enhance quality healthcare delivery.