The board members taking their oath of officeD
The board responsible for determining the scope of practice for allied health profession in the country has been inaugurated after months of agitation by the Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professions.
The 11-member Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) board is chaired by Prof. Augustine Kwame Kyere and comprises members drawn from allied health professions, the allied health training institutions and the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Other board members include Dr. Samuel Yaw Opoku, Dr. Gaetan Charles Adangabey, Dr. Prince Sodoke Amuzu, Dr. Samuel Kyei, Mr. Justice Ofori-Amoah, Dr. Malita Asante, Dr. Ernest Asiedu, Mrs. Anna Pearl Akiwumi Siriboe, Mr. Richard Asamoa-Mensah and Justina Owusu Banahene.
Health Minister Kweku Agyeman-Manu, in his remarks at the inauguration ceremony, charged the board to get to work immediately looking at the enormous work that needs to be done.
He encouraged them to provide an effective system for the regulation of the allied health professionals whose works have a direct impact on patients and service users in order to ensure public protection.
“You are also enjoined to secure in the public interest the highest standards of training and practice of allied health professions. You are particularly charged to oversee the regulation of education, training and practice of allied health professionals in order to gain public confidence,” he said.
Although acknowledging the enormous responsibilities of the board, the sector minister advised the team not to get involved in the day-to-day administrative functions of the Council, adding, “I also urge you to put in place the earliest possible time the professions specific committees on line with Section 148 (2) of Act 857 to advise the board on matters relating to the specific allied health professions.
He charged them to work towards changing the negative perception of the public about the profession, and “I strongly believe you have the ability to achieve all these.”
Mr. Agyeman-Manu, however, expressed displeasure about the conduct of the Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professionals in their quest for a board. According to him, the picture the federation painted about the delayed establishment of the board and their subsequent strike action was uncalled for, as the ministry was working to ensure that the right people are appointed to the board.
He, however, expressed optimism that such a situation would not recur, as their demand has been met.
The Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professions embarked on a strike action last month in demand for the Governing Board; the absence of which they disclosed was retarding the progress of work.
The group said the non-existent of the council board for the past two years posed a serious threat to the public health and safety of Ghanaians.
The Chairman of the Council of Presidents, Dr. Ignatius Awinibuno, who addressed the media after the inauguration of the board, expressed satisfaction about the inauguration of the board, but said they would not have changed the approach they used in ensuring a board was constituted for the council.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri