Biomedical scientist calls for setting up of regulatory body

A biomedical engineer is calling for a policy to include professionals in the discipline in the country’s health workforce.

Dr. Yacub Ahmed of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology wants a national council established to regulate the field.

He was speaking at the 2nd National Biomedical Engineering Conference in Kumasi.

Dr. Ahmed argues the role of biomedical engineers in enhancing healthcare cannot be underestimated.

“The biomedical engineering professional is however not included in the official definition of health workforce or policy framework.  Biomedical engineering professionals have been working in the shadows of the doctors and nurses, not considered. Just as we have Medical and Dental Council and Nurses council, the Biomedical engineering professionals need its own council,” he said.

Dr. Ahmed says such a step will bring Ghana on the same pedestal with international counterparts.

The meeting was under the theme: Addressing Local Healthcare Needs through Biomedical Engineering Innovations.

Biomedical Engineering Students Coordinator, KNUST, Dr. Isaac Acquah, observes most of imported equipment are unsuitable for local needs.

He urges scientists and students to identify healthcare challenges related to their expertise and find innovative ways of addressing them.

“We need to work with relevant stakeholders to be able to understand the problem so that we come out with engineering solutions that are adapted to meet the problems that the healthcare providers are facing,” he said.

Deputy Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Nicholas Adjabu, believes the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will largely depend on the contribution of biomedical engineers.

“We can’t achieve universal health coverage if we don’t have the technology to support our health workers to deliver these services,” he noted.

President of the Ghana Society of Biomedical Engineers, Dr. Elsie Kauffman, is happy about the strides made by the society so far.

She is particular about migration of clinical engineers unto the Single-Spine Salary Structure as well as prototype submission by final- year Biomedical Engineering students.

She called for private and public support to push gains made by the society.

The 2-day meeting brought together stakeholders in the industry and students to deliberate among other things new developments in the field.

They are expected to come up with drafts for protocols to make Biomedical Engineering a force to be reckoned with.