The Veterinary Council of Ghana has sworn-in the first locally-trained Veterinary Doctors at a ceremony in Kumasi, on Saturday.

It is a major step to advancing the cause of Veterinary Medicine in Ghana, which faces acute shortage of Veterinary Doctors with less than 200 Veterinarians currently working in Ghana.

Out of the number, about 90 per cent received training in Eastern Europe, as well as Cuba, Nigeria and Kenya.

The 10 newly-qualified Doctors underwent six-years of training at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) School of Veterinary Medicine, qualifying them to be inducted under the requirements of the Council.

With their induction, the Veterinarians, including four females, are mandated to lead efforts to ensuring public safety by promoting animal health issues, conservation of livestock resources and advancement of veterinary knowledge.

Administering the Veterinary Oath, Dr. William Amanfu, Chairman of the Council, charged them to demonstrate high sense of professional ethics.

“You should be ready for the challenges in the profession you are being inducted into. Your work comes with many difficulties, but it behooves you to be ready for the service of the nation”, he advised the Veterinary Doctors.

He said the 21st Century had seen the outbreak of some deadly animal-borne diseases whose effects on mankind could not be glossed over, and that it was the responsibility of the Veterinarians to work assiduously to finding antidotes to emerging threats in the animal industry.

Dr. Amanfu said the bird and swine flus, Ebola, and other diseases originating from animals had the potential to cause havoc to mankind.

The Veterinarians should, therefore, spearhead national disease control and prevention programmes to ensure public health in order to sustain socio-economic growth.

Dr. Hannah Bissiw, a Veterinarian and Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, in-charge of Livestock, said the government had engaged on contract basis, some retired Veterinary Doctors to help alleviate the plight in the animal industry.

She said the Ministry had also stepped up its engagement with stakeholders to improve livestock farming through research and training.

The Minister appealed to the Veterinary Doctors to develop passion for the profession, saying that, with the majority of all human diseases tracing their origin to animals or animal products, the onus lies on them to be focused in the discharge of their duties.