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Dr Anita Antwi: A gem combining medicine, engineering
Anita did not allow that failed attempt to kill her spirit as she changed gear to pursue a career in engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
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After successfully completing her engineering course, she decided to give her first love another shot at the medical school. This time, she succeeded at the second attempt and got admitted to the University of Ghana Medical School at Legon in Accra in 2015. After sleepless nights of reading voluminous textbooks, visits to the theatre and training, Anita completed her course and was inducted as a full medical doctor on February 22, 2022.
At the age of 27, Dr Anita Antwi holds three degrees to her chest. Her first degree is a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications Engineering; the second is a Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences and the third a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery.
Asked when she conceived the idea of being a doctor, she told The Mirror that “I was really good at Maths so when I was growing up, I wanted to be a banker but I did science in senior high school and I started thinking about being a doctor.”
Educational journey
Dr Antwi admitted that it was very competitive to get into the Medical School in the year she applied so when she was offered a programme in telecommunication engineering, she decided to go ahead with it.
“The engineering was tough for me in the beginning so my parents were worried and decided to let me get forms for medical school again but I had started enjoying the engineering so I decided to complete it,” she stated.
“One challenge I had when I was studying engineering was that it was very abstract so it made it difficult for me to appreciate it in the beginning but things got into shape when I started to do internships with Nordel Limited which is into electrical/mechanical engineering consultancy. I also moved to other places such as Datacom Ghana Limited and MainOne Ghana,” she added.
Comparing the engineering to medicine, she explained that with medicine, the books to read and slides to cover were voluminous so more time had to be spent on learning but it was fun because she was able to easily relate to what was said in the books because she had the opportunity to see patients and practise on them.
Currently, she is doing her internship with the Lister Hospital in Accra while waiting for her house job postings in May this year.
Who is Dr Antwi?
She was born on January 26, 1995 to Mr Alfred Antwi, an anaesthetist at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, and Madam Christiana Appiah, a trader.
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Dr Antwi, who is an only child, hails from Worawora in the Oti Region and lives at Teshie-Nungua Estates in Accra.
She attended Love’s School for her crèche and nursery education and proceeded to the Daras School Limited for primary and junior high school (JHS).
The two schools are both located at Teshie-Nungua, a suburb of Accra.
“I attended Aburi Girls Senior High School in the Eastern Region where I offered General Science. I’m a Christian and a member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. I like to hang out with friends physically and on social media during my leisure time. I also sell disposable nose masks as a side business,” she added with a smile.
Dr Antwi gave a hint that despite her love for medicine, she still had passion for engineering so she was planning to register with the Ghana Institution of Engineers as a graduate member.
Although she has not decided what to specialise in yet in the medical field, her interest lies in obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine and public health.
hadiza.quansah@graphic.com.gh