Mrs. Maria B. Gwira, Director of Public Affairs at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, told ‘future health care providers’ on February 25 that “the revolution we seek in the health sector in Ghana will not happen without a deliberate, strategic realignment in perspective on the part of YOU the health care provider.”
The Director of Public Affairs was speaking about “The health care provider as thought leader and change maker” during the launch of the Sixth Students’ Representative Council Week Celebration at the North/Trafalgar Campus of UHAS. She told the auditorium full of students that the imperfect health care system in the country offers the perfect atmosphere for them to be “innovative and solution-oriented” in their approach to the practice of health.
Chronicling her late sister’s unfortunate experience with the health care system, she made a passionate call on students to take the leadership role in the pursuit of their profession by expanding their definition of their ‘care giver’ role to include ‘problem solver’ and ‘advocate of the patient’, whose main goal should be to “bring relief, healing or peace of mind to the patient.”
She also gave them much food for thought by asking: “Knowing what you already knew going onto this career path about the limitations of the health sector, you still went into this field, studied everything UHAS had to offer, and you plan to come out into the world, offering zero new ideas of your own, adding nothing different, and yet expecting that there will somehow be a miraculous change that will offer YOU a more enabling environment than what prevailed before?”
She concluded with a call on all to contribute to the reservoir of knowledge through conducting research, publishing articles, and taking part in public discussions on issues of relevance to their professions, in order to be considered experts in their chosen fields.
Mr. David Adzovie, Director of Human Resource, who chaired the event, inspired the students to strive for greatness because the University of Health and Allied Sciences, although among the youngest public universities in Ghana, has gained prominence in the global arena as a recognized center for the training of health professionals.
Among the invited dignitaries were Mrs. Enyonam Amafugah, Ghana Education Service; Superintendant Anthony Danso, Municipal Commander of the Ghana Police Service; and student leaders from Ho Technical University, Evangelical Presbyterian University College, Amedzofe University College of Education, and National Union of Ghana Students.
Other speakers urged students to be disciplined and focused on their studies, and to be mindful of their actions and activities related to impending elections in December.
Activities marking the weeklong celebration include a health screening, debate competition, sports festival, float, beauty pageant and other entertaining as well as educative events .