The School of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University for Development Studies (UDS-SMHS) is the UDS campus responsible for the training of medical doctors, nurses, nutritionists and other experts in the field of allied health sciences. The school has been in existence for several years, but is without a hospital or clinic. The Students Representative Council (SRC) has therefore taken it upon itself to embark on a project to set up a sick-bay to cater for the immediate health needs of the students. The SRC President of UDS-SMHS who is also the Central SRC President of UDS, Fred Amese is calling on government and benevolent organizations and individuals to come to their assistance to make the project a success. “Taxis do not ply the route to our campus at night and in the event that a student needs medical attention at night it becomes very difficult to transport such students to the hospital”. He said. “The problem is compounded by the absence of hostel facilities on campus which compels the students to rent rooms in the communities around the school,” he added. He appealed to government to fulfill her promise of building a hostel for the campus since the GetFund hostel which is located on the campus is being used as a hotel. He laments the high rents charged by landlords in the community saying the landlords are exploiting the students and the students are paying exorbitant rents for houses that lack basic amenities like water and places of convenience. Fred Amese also called on the Volta River Authority - Northern Electricity Department (VRA-NED) to bring to a halt the problems of fluctuating and low currents in the communities around the campus. “We have complained several times verbally and in writing, but they seem not to care. Our electronic gadgets are becoming dysfunctional due to this problem and in some areas students cannot study at night due to extremely low currents,” he said. He also laments the high cost of tertiary education in Ghana. He is of the view that Article 25(1)c of the 1992 constitution which in part says “... higher education shall be made equally accessible to all on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by progressive introduction of free education” is a paradox. Fred Amese, therefore, proposed that the Constitutional Review Committee considers expunging that article if we as a country agree that free higher education cannot be a reality, otherwise, it should be made an entrenched provision if the country really wants to give meaning to it. He further appealed to the UDS Alumni to also consider embarking on projects to help promote the welfare of students of their Alma-matter. “UDS is the only University for Development Studies in Ghana and it is necessary that solutions are found to its developmental challenges”, he stressed. Source: Myjoyonline.com