Professor P. K. Nyame, Rector of the College of Physicians and Surgeons on Wednesday said the college would need the support of the government, District Assemblies and the people of Ghana to make it a centre of choice for scientific medicine in the West African sub-Region. Speaking at the inauguration of a four -million-dollar ultra modern complex built for the Ghana College in Accra, Prof Nyame said, "We aim at producing a specialist who is a medical expert, health advocate, communicator and team worker; scholar, administrator and manager. “He or she must have an insight into economics, policy analysis, and of course public affairs...This is the stuff great institutions are made of.” The postgraduate medical college provides specialist education in medicine, surgery and related disciplines, promotes professional development and relevant research. It started operating on December 9, 2003, with an initial intake of 64 students which has now risen to 110. Its new complex, an architectural landmark in the city has facilities for an auditorium with a seating capacity of 750, bookshop, library, simulation laboratory for teaching, examination hall, computer laboratory, a boardroom, restaurant, gymnasium and bedrooms. Prof Nyame noted that having modernised the carrier structure of the medical and dental professions, promotions were expected to be based on verifiable professional, educational development and achievement and that the prospects of doctors was now elegantly linked with programmes of the college or their equivalent. He called for the amendment of Act636 of 2003, which established the college so that it could take cognisance of the realties of operating a Ghanaian National Medical College. Prof Nyame observed that great strides which, had been made in modern medicine was research and expressed the hope that a Medical Research Council would be established to regulate and co-ordinate medical research efforts. The college, he said would also establish physical medicine speciality to prepare doctors to handle problems characterised by ageing and develop a two-year strategic specialist course in a Family Planning Fellowship Programme in Maternal and Child Health. He asked President John A Kufuor to bring into fruition for posterity sake the vision conceived by Kwame Nkrumah to build the Legon Teaching Hospital which, "is expected to be a giant step for postgraduate medical training and a great leap into modern scientific medical practice in Ghana. Eight specialists out of 24 candidates, (Internal medicine two, surgery one, Dentistry three, Laboratory Medicine one and Otohinolaryngology one) and 10 diplomats who did shorter courses of 18 months in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, seven from child health and three from Obstetrics and Gynaecology passed their examination. Honorary Fellowship of the college was conferred on Professor Alex Kwapong, an outstanding academic, classicist and university administrator who was in the trenches with the pioneers who established the University of Ghana Medical School. Professors Stephen Addae, and Nii Lomotey Engmann, medical practitioners and academics in the medical basic sciences were also honoured for their contributions to post graduate medical education in Ghana. Honorary Fellowship of the college was also conferred on their counterparts, Professors Olukoyode Jeboda from Nigeria, Zephine Vander Spryl and Lizo Mazwai both from South Africa and Tim Johnson from the United States for their contributions to the medical profession and post graduate medical education in Ghana. Source: GNA