The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s (KNUST) College of Health Sciences (CHS) seeks benevolent support to raise funds in support of infrastructure expansion projects, research & development (R&D) and scholarship support.

To achieve this ambitious initiative estimated at US$10million, the CHS is set to launch an endowment fund to solicit public support using various funding instruments.

The five-year fundraising initiative aims to address the pressing need for increased capacity in healthcare education, exacerbated by the government’s Free Senior High School (FSHS) initiative. With more high school graduates seeking tertiary education, expanding existing infrastructure is critical, particularly in health sciences.

Chairman of the Endowment Fund Board and former Dean of CHS, Prof. Daniel Ansong, speaking at the media launch of the fund, highlighted the urgent need to address the infrastructure gaps in the colleges, stressing that the rate at which fee-paying is on the rise, healthcare education will soon become accessible only to the wealthy, who are capable of paying for the limited spaces, leaving behind many qualified but underprivileged students.

He emphasised that in recent years, KNUST has experienced a significant surge in applications to its health sciences programmes; however, many of the qualified applicants to the college do not get admission due to infrastructure constraints.

Again, some of the existing laboratories are in dilapidated state while others are below international standards for training of medical professionals and require renovation and retooling.

“The College of Health Sciences has seven faculties, namely: the School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Dentistry.

“The College wants to establish this Endowment Fund to raise a minimum of US$10million to provide enough facilities and expand resources for these faculties to be able to take more students and train more health professionals for the next generation,” he said.

Additionally, he said: “This Endowment Fund will enable us to provide world-class training facilities, equip our laboratories with cutting-edge technologies, and produce highly qualified healthcare professionals to meet Ghana’s growing healthcare needs”.

Objectives of fund

The objectives outlined for the Endowment Fund include infrastructure expansion and upgrade; research and development (R&D) initiatives; scholarship support for deserving students; faculty development and recruitment; and enhanced clinical training and simulation programmes.

The Endowment Fund will utilise various funding instruments, including corporate donations and partnerships; individual philanthropy; dinner nights and fundraising gala; alumni group support; and fun games.

With the government’s Agenda 111 project underway to build over 100 hospitals across the country, more healthcare professionals will be required to manage the facilities; therefore, demand is expected to increase, hence the need to train more professionals.