MoH to train more radiographers to meet increasing demand in Ghana

The Ministry of Health has announced plans to expand Radiography training and education to address the shortage of radiography workforce in the country. In line with this move, the Ministry said private training institutions will be encouraged to train more professional radiographers to meet the ever increasing demand. 

The Sector Minister, Alex Segbefia announced this in a speech read for him at the 5th Biennial National Congress and Scientific Conference of the Ghana Society of Radiographers in Tamale. 

Mr. Segbefia said there are new technological trends in health delivery and the ministry will train more professionals and replace older equipment with needed state of the art equipment to ensure quality health delivery in the country.  

Radio Ghana’s Correspondence, Mohammed Fugu reports that, the Ghana Society of Radiographers is a sole umbrella body of all certified Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy professionals in Ghana. 

The Congress offered members the opportunity to adopt the reviewed constitution of the Society, discuss pertinent issues affecting their profession, and induct new executives both National and Regional to steer the affairs of the society for the next two years. 

The Minister of Health, Alex Segbefia said quacks have invaded the profession and investigations had proven that many personnel who scanned patients and issued reports were not properly trained or qualified. 

He said it is therefore important for government to pay attention to the issue by training professionals to be able to purge the system of quacks.

He revealed that, the ministry also intend to partner the private sector in the operation of state of the art machines by getting them provide the machines and taking responsibility of servicing. 

Mr. Segbefia said it is the ministry`s responsibility to enter into fair agreement with the service providers to ensure that fess charged are moderate while ensuring that service providers also make reasonable profit. 

He urged members of the society in the face of the challenge to strengthen links between various health professional to improve on quality health care  since no profession or society can achieve much while working in isolation. 

The President of the Ghana Society of Radiographers, Rev. James Ampofo said with the emergency of technology, members of the society are also upgrading themselves to meet the current standard.   

The Theme for the congress was “Trends of Technological Advancement in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy in the Past Decade”.

GBC