CK Tedam, GTEC must come out on Medical Physics brouhaha

The Daily Graphic last Wednesday, February 14, 2024, carried a story in which the Ghana Society for Medical Physics (GSMP) raised concerns in objection to the introduction of a Bachelor of Science (BSc) programme in Medical Physics at the CK Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS),

According to the society, Medical Physics by convention is run as a postgraduate academic programme globally due to the complex physics techniques and principles applied in the use of radiations for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions such as cancers and other degenerative health conditions.

Available literature indicates that though some institutions offer undergraduate programmes in Physics with Medical Physics, for a more in-depth grasp of the concepts and principles of Medical Physics, one needs an advanced understanding of physics and mathematics, in addition to very good knowledge of biology, physiology and anatomy, all of which require rigorous education and training to ensure that the medical physicist has the requisite fundamental knowledge and technical skills to practise in the area.

Indeed, all areas of medical science require that the professional is thorough, since the least error or even misjudgement can cause the life of a human being, an act that cannot be reversed.

Hence, all over the world, mechanisms have been developed to ensure that medical physics educational programmes meet the highest possible standards. 

We know that even in some cases, after certification has been achieved, the practitioner has to justify the continuous holding of such certification by entering a programme of maintenance that ensures that the skills obtained during training and education are not lost over time.

In some countries, this is handled by close supervision during on-the-job training.

Other countries have developed medical physics residency programmes that mimic medical residencies and focus on the practical clinical work involved in imaging or radiation therapy.

The public would, thus, rightfully question whether medical physicists trained by CKT-UTAS would fulfil these expectations, and whether the programme would sufficiently prepare graduates to discharge the duties of clinical medical physicists effectively, efficiently and professionally.

That is why the Daily Graphic considers the concern raised by the GSMP as a serious one that needs urgent redress before it creates a bigger problem for us as a country.

As already stated, we know many countries around the globe run programmes in Physics with Medical Physics but graduates have to acquire in-depth rigorous knowledge at the postgraduate level to acquire the necessary skills to practise as medical physicists.

The challenge the Daily Graphic has is that as of now after the press conference by the society, neither the authorities of the CK Tedam University of Applied Sciences nor the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has reacted to the concerns by providing the needed answers to assuage the fear and concern of the people.

Does this silence mean that the university has no answer to the concerns raised, and that the GTEC did not thoroughly assess and/or scrutinise the programme before giving the go-ahead to the university to run it?

The concerns raised by the GSMP cannot be brushed under the carpet as usually happens with some organisations in this country.

This is about life and death, affecting the whole population.

And the earlier the two entities come up to provide further information, the better it is for them and the citizenry, and even the students on the programme whose future by all indications hangs in the balance.

The Daily Graphic calls on the CKT-UTAS and the accreditation body, GTEC, to make available to Ghanaians in the shortest possible time the course content, availability of infrastructure and equipment, and the availability of qualified faculty to put the minds of the people at ease.

We acknowledge the need to produce sufficient numbers of competent clinically qualified medical physicists, but we must surely not do so under the expediency of substandard training and education.

This becomes more critical in view of the fact that experts make us to understand that the discipline of Medical Physics is going through rapid changes, particularly with the development of biological sciences and more complex research requiring interdisciplinary teams and approaches.