Kumasi, Oct 04, GNA - Dr George Bedu-Addo, the Head of the Department of Medicine of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), on Tuesday called for the establishment of regional offices of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons to enable medical practitioners in the regions to have easy access to continuous medical education. He said the present arrangement where most postgraduates had to travel to Accra to attend educational meetings needed to be looked at in view of the cost and risks involve in travelling long distances to Accra.

Dr Bedu-Addo made the call at the opening of the Third Advances in Medicine Continuing Medical Education (CME) conference in Kumasi on Tuesday.

The 4-day conference is being organized by KATH in collaboration with the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, Olmsted Outreach Africa Partners and Navigators Africa Partners, both NGOs in the USA. The aim is to focus on maintaining highest standards of education and training in medicine to keep medical personnel current with advances in medicine after completing their medical training. About 150 doctors and physicians from Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d' Ivoire, USA and Burkina Faso are attending. Dr Bedu-Addo said people have criticized postgraduate education in Ghana because it took too long to produce new specialists. He called for better educational and career development opportunities for medical personnel to help stem the brain drain in the country.

Dr Bedu-Addo said with the depth of knowledge that would be acquired from the programme, peers, colleagues and the public would expect the participants to influence and shape clinical practice in their various centres of practice.

Dr Patrick Karikari, the Medical Director of KATH, said there was the need for medical practitioners in West Africa to frequently share experiences in medicine to improve health care delivery.