400 Physician Assistants inducted

The Medical and Dental Council has inducted 400 Physician Assistants to enhance access to quality health care for better outcomes.

The inductees have, however, been put on a provisional register until they have completed their mandatory one-year internship with accredited health facilities.

The three distinct PA groups are medical assistants; community oral health officers and certified registered nurse anesthetists.

The middle level cadre of healthcare providers are expected to examine, prescribe and request for diagnostic tests under the supervision of physicians or surgeons.

PAs can, however, work independently under certain circumstances, especially in rural areas, with or without doctors but ultimately under some sort of supervision and within their scope of practice.
 

Service

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, in a speech read on his behalf, said the newly qualified PAs would augment the current number of about 6,642 colleagues serving in various parts of the country.

He urged them to exhibit high standards of professionalism and conduct in their practice.

“Regrettably, often the allure of specialised knowledge and success, if not properly managed, results in bloated egos and inconsiderate conduct and may make one lose his humanity and the capacity to care.

“Any keen follower of the healthcare sector would have noticed that recent media reportage is replete with claims of professional negligence, improper conduct and unethical behaviour by our healthcare professionals.

“The very people, who openly swear professional oaths and commit themselves to serve us in our most vulnerable state, are now our abusers, this is unacceptable,” the minister said.

Mr Agyeman-Manu said in line with the Ministry’s commitment  to ensure quality and safe basic healthcare delivery, the council had developed a comprehensive scope of practice document for all categories of PAs to ensure they operate within their competency levels.

He said the document, which was launched in July last year, spelt out the limit to which a PA could go, or what they could do and what they could not do.

Caution

The Chairman of the Board of the Medical and Dental Council, Prof. Paul Kwame Nyame, cautioned the inductees to desist from engaging in ‘locum’ — the act of working at different facilities — describing it as illegal.

On privacy of patients, he admonished them never to share patient information on social media or use it for any personal benefit.

Prof. Nyame advised them to continuously build their capacity to progress in their respective careers as medical practice keeps evolving.

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