The Veterinary Council of Ghana has inducted 38 newly qualified veterinary doctors to practise after six years of academic and professional training in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Whereas 27 of the doctors were trained at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the other 11 were trained at the University of Ghana.
With the induction of the new doctors, the number of veterinary doctors working across the nation has increased to 568.
Charge
Addressing the induction ceremony last Friday, the Pioneer Dean, KNUST School of Veterinary Medicine, Professor Raphael Folitse, charged them to uphold the profession with honour and dignity.
“You have so much to offer society, especially at such a time when there are frequent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases worldwide”, highlighting the current outbreak of M-pox, a disease transmitted from animals to humans.
“As the human population increases, human beings are increasingly moving closer to animal habitats. As such, diseases can spread from animals to humans and vice versa,” he pointed out.
Greater demand
Hence, Prof. Folitse said there was greater demand on veterinary doctors to be more vigilant as gatekeepers in protecting human populations and zoonotic spillover, stressing, “This means that much is expected of you as veterinary doctors in ensuring that disease outbreaks are detected promptly in the animal population”.
He pleaded with the government to take the necessary steps to employ them as soon as possible to prevent them from leaving the country, noting that “many of their seniors have migrated to Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom”.
With the demand for veterinary doctors in Sierra Leone, Gambia and Liberia, he mentioned that the government could facilitate this move by sending a group to work there for some foreign exchange.
Support
The Chairperson of the Veterinary Council of Ghana, Dr Sherry Johnson, said the council provided the needed support and direction to enable the newly inducted doctors to uphold the highest professional standards.
She said the institution was developing some standards, coupled with the formation of task forces across all the regions to clamp down on quacks within the profession and indicated that they would promptly publish the list of registered veterinary surgeons as a way of weeding out fake persons parading as surgeons.
She stated that the council would continue to promote continuous professional development of surgeons in research, academia and professional practice to enable them to be in tune with emerging trends within the profession.
In a remark, the Manager of the Kumasi Zoological Gardens, Dr Meyir Ziekah Yiryele, underscored the need for the new doctors to practise wildlife medicine since people were opening private zoos and others were also keeping wild animals as pets.
“In one way or another, you will be called upon by someone to treat a parrot, snake, tortoise, or even a lion,” he told the new surgeons.
First day
Delivering the valedictory address, Dr Loretta Aminarh, said from the first day they wore their white coats to the first time they heard a heartbeat through their stethoscopes, every challenge shaped them into “who we are today.”
“Today, as we take our oath, we are not merely receiving a title; we are accepting a duty — a duty to protect the voiceless; to heal without discrimination and to serve humanity through the health of animals,” she said.
She mentioned that they were stepping into a profession that demanded not only knowledge but also integrity; not only skill but heart, stressing “the animals we treat may never say 'thank you', but their healing and the smiles of their owners will be our greatest reward.”
Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh.
