President John Mahama was on Monday installed as the Grand Patron of the West African College of Surgeons (WASC) for his visionary leadership in healthcare and surgical advancement in the West African subregion.

The installation was conducted by Professor Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai, the President of WASC, during the 66th Annual General Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the WACS at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) in Accra.

The WASC is a professional organisation founded in 1960 and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, dedicated to training surgeons, establishing professional standards, and improving healthcare in 15-plus West African nations.

It provides postgraduate education in eight faculties (including anaesthesia, orthopaedics, and surgery), conducts fellowship examinations and hosts an annual scientific conference. 

The week-long conference, on the theme, “Capacity Building in Surgery: Developing the Next Generation of Surgeons in West Africa,” is being attended by participants from across the globe.

President Mahama expressed gratitude to the WASC for the honour of naming him Grand Patron of the Conference and admitting him as an Honorary Fellow of the distinguished institution.

He noted that he accepts these recognitions on behalf of all the People of Ghana with humility and renewed commitment to support the work of the College, as surgeons' work is inseparable from the health, dignity, and productivity of their people.

The President commended the surgeons for the profession that they had chosen, declaring that they save many lives.

He said the Accra Conference addresses a professional community that transcends national borders and that it reflects their shared traditional aspirations and enduring partnerships.

Ahead of the Accra Conference, the WASC organised a surgical outreach as a pre-conference activity from February 1st to February 7th.

The week-long pre-conference surgery outreach programme put smiles back on the faces of 855 Ghanaians across the country who successfully underwent surgeries for various diseases.

President Mahama extended his deepest appreciation to the volunteer surgeons, who used their professional skills to put the smiles on the faces of his countrymen and women across the country during the outreach.

He urged the College to submit the outstanding surgical bill to the Minister of Health for consideration.

“We will take up that cost and still express appreciation to you for what you have done”.

President Mahama said the West African College of Surgeons exemplifies what their subregion can achieve when professionalism, shared standards, and a common purpose guide its efforts.

He noted that as an institution affiliated with the West African Health Organisation, the College embodies the spirit of regional cooperation that the ECOWAS Community must continue to strengthen.

President Mahama said that over the decades, the WASC had trained and produced a significant proportion of the surgeons serving across their countries.

He said that, in recognition of this enduring contribution, he conveys the appreciation of governments and people across the entire West African subregion.

The President acknowledged the pioneers who laid the foundation of WASC, including Dr Victor Anomah Ngu and Sir Samuel Manuwa, noting that their foresight continues to benefit generations of specialists and countless patients they serve.

He said that, as the host nation, Ghana was proud of the contributions of Ghanaian surgeons and teachers to the College’s growth and specialist training across West Africa.

He recalled with profound respect the late Professor Emmanuel Augustus Badoe, Professors Emmanuel Quaye Archampong, Edward Kofi Donkor Yeboah, and George Wireku-Brobbey, among many other eminent West African partners, whose scholarship and mentorship have strengthened surgical training and service across their subregion.

He said their legacy reminds them that progress in healthcare was built on discipline, mentorship and service, and that behind every institutional milestone were individuals who pay a personal price so that others might live, learn, and thrive.

President Mahama recalled that Professor John M.K. Quartey, who, together with his two younger colleagues, Dr Isaac Ben-Zi and Dr Benjamin Osei-Biafi, tragically lost their lives while returning from a surgical outreach programme in Sunyani.

He said their sacrifice remains a powerful reminder of their collective duty to build systems in which access to specialised care is not determined by geography and where quality of service is available to every community.

Professor Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai, the President of WASC, said the Accra Conference was focusing on innovative surgical training and research.