Medical and Dental Council working on standards of practice
The Ghana Medical and Dental Council (GMDC) is working to ensure that medical professionals come up with standards of practice.
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Presently, medical professionals in the country do not have protocols to check their standards of practice.
The Chairman of the GMDC, Dr Eric Asamoah, made this known at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Dental Association (GDA) and annual congress in Accra.
The theme for the celebration was “Healthy mouth, Healthy body: The role of GDA in 25 years and beyond”.
No self-agreed standards
Dr Asamoah stated that medical professionals in the country relied on international best practices but did not have their own standards to check their practices.
He added that the GMDC was, therefore, encouraging the GDA to come up with its own set of agreed protocols and standards which would be accepted by all practitioners.
That, he said, would help regulate dentistry practice in the country.
Decouple GDA from GMA
The President of the GDA, Nana Asante-Appiah, called for the decoupling of the GDA Council from the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) Council.
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He was of the view that separating the two would make the two councils more effective, saying the GDA was being overshadowed by the GMA in the council.
He said dentistry practice in the country was not attractive as dentists were poorly remunerated and they did not also have the required tools to work with.
Dr Asante-Appiah called on the government to pay attention to dentistry practice in the country by reducing tariffs on medical equipment.
A former Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Professor Nii Otu Nartey, who gave the keynote address on the topic “Impact of localisation of dentistry in Ghana,” said Ghana had between 1997 and 2010 trained a total of 189 dentists in the country.
That, he said, was a 100 per cent more than the number of dentists trained outside of the country.
He, however, said the number of dentists being trained in the country was inadequate, hence there was the need for more people to be trained to match the population.
The Paramount Chief of Ngleshie Alata, Obrempong Nii Kojo Ababio V, who chaired the ceremony, congratulated the GDA on its 25 years in existence.
A book on ‘Dentistry in Ghana’ was launched at the ceremony. There was also an exhibition session.
Writer's email-rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh