The Medical and Dental Council (MDC) of Ghana has inducted 627 newly qualified physician assistants (PAs) and certified registered anaesthetists (CRAs) into professional practice, reinforcing efforts to improve the distribution of healthcare workers across the country.
The ceremony, held at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons Auditorium in Accra, brought together graduates from more than a dozen accredited training institutions including the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the University of Cape Coast, the University for Development Studies, Narh-Bita College, the College of Health and Wellbeing in Kintampo, and the Schools of Anaesthesia at Ridge Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital, and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, as well as foreign-trained professionals who passed the Council’s licensure examinations.
The inductees are from various accredited training institutions and must have passed the licensure examinations conducted by the MDC, meeting the appropriate training standards for practice in Ghana. Following induction, they will undertake internships and national service at accredited institutions as a prerequisite for permanent registration.
Addressing the new professionals, MDC Registrar Dr. Divine Ndonbi Banyubala urged them to uphold the highest standards of conduct, reminding them that the responsibility they now bear is both clinical and moral. “We must be guided not only by clinical knowledge but also by ethical conduct that respects the dignity and humanity of every patient,” he said.
Board Chairman Prof. Agyemang Badu Akosa echoed the call for professionalism, urging the inductees to place patient welfare at the centre of their practice. “You must show respect for human life. You must make the care of the patient your first concern and protect and promote the health of patients and the public,” he stated.
The induction is part of the MDC’s periodic exercise to formally license graduates who have completed both their academic training and prescribed practical requirements. The addition of 627 practitioners to the national health workforce is expected to support the government’s ongoing drive to address shortages and improve equitable access to care, particularly in underserved communities where PAs and CRAs play a critical role in filling gaps left by more specialised medical personnel.
