FHU advocates tax rebates, fee waivers for private medical institutions
Family Health University (FHU) has called on the government to consider tax rebates on medical equipment and fee waivers for first-year students in private medical institutions.
It explained that such a move was essential to ensure equity in tertiary education as it helped to reduce financial barriers, promote access for underserved students and support private universities delivering critical healthcare education and innovations vital to national development.
"We urge government to consider tax rebates on essential medical equipment and also extend fee waivers to first-year students in private chartered universities. Equity in tertiary education must be national in scope, not limited to public institutions."
The appeal was made during an informal visit by the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor, to the university's campus at Teshie, Accra.
The visit was to observe the university's progress since it was granted a Presidential Charter.
The meeting brought together senior academic and administrative figures of the university including the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Philip Odonkor; Registrar, Rita Kaine; Dean of the Medical School, Dr Sylvester Yaw Oppong; the Chief Medical Director of Family Health Hospital, Dr Susu Bridget Kwawukume and other key staff.
Visit
The visit featured a guided tour of the university's facilities, including the emergency ward, dialysis unit, cadaver lodge, lecture halls, the main library and the new e-library.
The GTEC boss also interacted with students, encouraging them to study hard and contribute meaningfully to the nation's healthcare system.
The visit was seen as a milestone in strengthening ties between GTEC and FHU, and renewing the call for policy reforms that support the critical role of private universities in national development.
Contribution
The Founder and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Enyonam Yao Kwawukume, highlighted the university's global contributions to health care, including its pioneering work on a bloodless fibroid surgical technique which has caught the attention of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
He also reaffirmed the university's commitment to public health research and announced a bold plan to eliminate cervical cancer in the Teshie-Nungua area within five years.
The Vice-Chancellor also paid tribute to the late Professor Timothy R.B. Johnson, a founding mentor of FHU, whose legacy was recently honoured through the naming of a newly launched e-library on campus.
The GTEC Director-General praised FHU's "massive speed of development within a short time”, describing it as a reflection of visionary leadership, sound governance and highly qualified faculty.
He reaffirmed the commission’s continued support for private science-focused institutions, emphasising that many of them were not profit-driven but rather service-oriented, playing a vital role in the country’s tertiary education and health sectors.
