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| Former Prez Obasanjo |
The Former President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria H.E Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has blamed the continuous underdevelopment
of the African Continent on the current generation of political leaderships who
have chosen to live lavishly at the expense of the ordinary people.
He said
political leaders of the continent spared no time at all in keeping their
people disunited and also used that opportunity to misappropriate the little
resources entrusted in their care whiles the citizens suffered.
The continent’s
people, he said, had over the years seemed to have benefitted only from poverty
and monumental debts from their leaders in spite of the abundance of natural
resources at their disposal which they could effectively harness or use as
palliative measures to advance development.
According to Chief
Obasanjo, low standards of education, poor health services, rising inflation
and insecurity among others, were some of the general characteristics of
underdevelopment of the continent.
Delivering a
speech at the maiden edition of the African Leadership Lecture Series and a
special graduation ceremony of medical and postgraduate students of the
University for Development Studies [UDS] in Tamale where he was Guest Speaker,
he acknowledged that Africa had large deposits of gold, diamonds, manganese as
well as significant amounts of forest reserves and fertile lands for
agricultural purposes, yet majority of its people still went to bed hungry.
Chief Obasanjo who
was also conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters [Honorari Causa] by
the authorities of the UDS, stressed that resources of the continent if well
managed could turn the lives of the people around, noting that, it was however
on record that a lot of leaders stole state money and lodged them in overseas
accounts.
The 86 year old
Diplomat also used the occasion to reprimand Ghanaian medical doctors for
embarking on industrial action, describing their posture as completely
irresponsible. Adding, he said the doctors had no moral justification for shirking
their responsibilities towards their patients because it was morally unethical.
As much as the
doctors might be right, he urged them to return to their work because there was
judgment day ahead of everyone.
About 48 medical
students trained by the UDS School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) were
inducted into the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, as they began their two
years housemanship program at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and some district
hospitals in the Northern Region. Also, 15 graduands were awarded with
postgraduate certificates in Mphl, MA and Msc in various academic programmes.
They took the
Hippocratic Oath and National Pledge which were respectively administered by
the Chairman of the Medical and Dental Council Dr. Eric Asamoa and the
President of the Republic of Ghana H.E John Dramani Mahama.
President Mahama
challenged the young doctors to accept to work in rural areas and also urged
them to adhere to their professional ethics.
Moreover, he
seized the opportunity to thank founding fathers of the UDS particularly former
President Jerry John Rawlings for personally making monetary contribution
towards the establishment of the university. “I have also been duly informed
that plans are underway to honour the former president in this regard”, he
disclosed.
Meanwhile, established
in 1996, the UDS medical school like other medical schools in the country had
been using traditional curriculum to train her students. But there had been a
change over to the Problem Based Learning (PBL) methodology since September
2007.
The rationale
for this change over to PBL lies in the mission statement of the University, "A School of Medicine and Health
Sciences Situated in Northern Ghana with a unique mandate to prepare health
professional and scientists, with the right beliefs and attitudes to work in
deprived rural communities, using the Problem Based Learning and the
Community-Based Extension Service approaches. A crop, who can, and are apt to
adapt to, initiate change and collaborate within interdisciplinary teams to
contribute significantly to humane and cost effective healthcare."
The PBL allows
for some interactive teaching and moulds a holistic medical student beginning
from year one. The programme involves the use of several district hospitals and
their consultants/specialists and exposes students as well as takes medical
care to the rural communities.
Thus, the 48
graduands were awarded degrees in Human Biology, Medicine and Surgery (M.B.,
ch. B). They are expected to get their license to practice as full medical
doctors after their two year housemanship.
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