Colleges of Physicians in West Africa have agreed to develop joint accreditation guidelines for training facilities of their academic entities. This was contained in a communiqué issued in Accra on Thursday at the end of the Sixth Quadripartite meeting of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons; the National Post-Graduate Medical College of Nigeria; the West African College of Physicians; and the West African College of Surgeons. The communiqué signed by Professor G.W. Brobby, Chairman and President of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, said they resolved to complete and exchange revised curricula for all the facilities among the four Colleges and organise training of trainer workshops in all them. They also resolved to work towards the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) Action Plan for recognition of equivalences of medical specialists' qualification in West African countries and organise training of trainer workshops in all Colleges. The communiqué called for increased support of their respective governments and other stakeholders to enable the colleges to achieve these objectives. The meeting observed that the four Colleges were at an advanced stage of curriculum review in line with modern trends in post-graduate medical education, competences, service delivery and evaluation. They also observed the need for expanding the scope of training of trainers, uniform guidelines for accrediting training institutions and harmonisation of training programmes. The meeting also observed the progress made by WAHO towards the recognition of equivalences of medical specialists' qualifications in West Africa.Source: GNA