Ghana Radiographers Calls On Government To Facilitate Establishment Of Ghana College of Allied Health
President for Ghana Society of Radiographers, Mr prince Rockson called on the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Health (MoH) to facilitate the establishment of the Ghana College of Allied health professionals.
Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater 
President for Ghana Society of Radiographers, Mr Prince Rockson called on the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Health (MoH) to facilitate the establishment of the Ghana College of Allied health professionals.
He stressed the need for the government to amend the specialist self trained and plant medicine research act 2011 Act 833 of which radiographers can advance their role into image interpretation, practice, MRI advance and other postgraduate clinical programmes.
Mr Rockson made call when he was addressing members of Ghana Association of Radiographers at a conference held today, 5th August, 2022 held to discuss issues of common interest and to receive updates in the profession.
He stated that it is important that the three major branches of radiography, imaging, therapy and sonography must be merged to avoid this undergraduate specialization which is having serious financial challenges in healthcare facilities in terms of human resource recruitment.
“The society is calling on the Allied Health Profession Council of Ghana, heads of department from the various universities and other key stakeholders to as a matter of urgency to begin the process of harmonizing the curriculum to a broader curriculum which can now been the basic for advance post graduate training. This will also empower our young graduates to serve interpreneuship which will also reduce the burden on government in getting financial clearance for health workers," he noted.
“I want to stress for the attention of the policy makers, the need for team-centric and holistic approach instead of Doctor-centric approach as radiographers are not only the backbone of medical profession but it is it sole tool as well due to their major role in the medical field.
"I call for strengthening capacity building and skill development of the imaging therapy and ultrasound and other allied health profession so that together capabilities in confidence and with efficiency, not only can we deliver the best healthcare for Ghanaians in the face of the Covid-19 threat but be prepared such that future health need and threat may not catch the nation unaware.
“If we conduct the present world, our future will be naturally skilled, knowledge is power, skill is strength, balance is all and I call for that”
For his part , the Director in charge of Medical Simulation Training Center, Prof. Aaron Lawson said “I couldn’t agree with you more on the theme for this conference “moving towards advance radiographic practice with superior customer experience”
“Radiography started on the job training of certificate holdings, X-ray technicians then to diploma certificates. In the last two decades more degree trained radiographers were introduced into the system. In more recent times, however, we have had masters degree and PhD holders in our country”
“Some of this trained radiographers obtained their certificates by training in other countries but more recently, most of them are trained locally and I commend your society and the council for that”
“All these movements were in responds to the advance technology behind the profession. The more sophisticated the technology, the more the advances needed to work with them”
“Overtime, not only the equipment sophisticated, but the patience at well. This is demands advances to be able to meet the expectations of the patients”
“The driving force for need to move towards the advances in radiographic practice is the sustainable development goal on health [SDG 3] which ultimately aims to ensure healthy living and promote wellbeing for all at all ages, targets 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16 out of 17 targets of the SDG 3 especially require various levels of advance radiographic practice to achieve that goal.
“I believe we can all see the radiographic practice is indeed pivotal to modern healthcare delivery.
“In moving, we must admit though we have made some strives over the years, there’s still room to be covered that can be achieved only when we advance”
“Advance Clinical Practice in general is a defined level of practice within the clinical profession designed to transform a modernized part-ways of care enabling the save and effective caring of skills across traditional boundaries”
“Advance clinical practice is delivered by experience practitioners. It is a level of practice characterized by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making. This is underpinned by a masters level award or equivalent that encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice namely; leadership and management, education, research and demonstration of core capabilities and area specific clinical competence”
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Univerty of Ghana medical Center, Dr Darius Osei in his speech under the theme moving towards advance radiographic practice with superior customer experience” outlined the visions for the programme.
He then appealed for the Radio College in Ghana
He said, “To be able to provide patient centered healthcare, there has to be rapid high quality diagnostic and that is where the radiographers comes in”
“Radiography as we all know is the backbone of modern medicine. It made other twice hidden internal cross topic anatomy of the patient visible and accessible and these facilitates and require treatment. Over the year, radiography has seen an exponential state in technology and practice all over the world. The interesting thing is that, the technology is rapidly changing as a results”
According to him, “There is the need to get off the ground by moving towards the advance radiographic practice. The springing up the practice of diagnostic centers across the country shows that the practice of technology are far catching up in Ghana.
He indicated that “The need for training and retraining is very key to enhancing quality of the radiographer Human Resources capacity. There is the the need to establish the Advance Level College of radiography in the country.
He noted that "I must say the UGMC by its mandate support such specialist training and we will partner the college should it be set up at any time. I will like to say that my years of practice, radiography in our country has developed with time and will keep evolving."
He stressed the need for all radiographers to unite and pursue a common goal to keep raising the standards of the profession.
“The Ghana Society of radiographers is sole professional body of all radiographers, diagnostic, radiation therapists and sonographers are regulated by the allied professions council of Ghana. These tales of specialties are pillars of medical practice which is been beneficial for sometime now.
“A joint statement signed by the association of radiographers and radiological technology and international society, federation of radiographer society in 2020 stated that the radiographers are the interface between imaging technology and patients as medical imaging and radiation experts.
Radiographers are professionally accountable for patients physical and psychological wellbeing. Infection prevention control compliance, immediately prior to during and following the ultrasound investigation and all therapy procedures.
This conference provided a common platform for all radiographers working in the field of radio-diagnosis, radiotherapy and ultrasound in different part of this country to exchange their challenges lessons learn and knowledge involve in different imaging modalities for performing accurate diagnosis in sharing radio therapy techniques utilize for precise radiotherapy and in accurate sonography among other pathological disorders also contributing to our health.
“Shared and agreed competence and practice standards play an integral and important parts of our role as radiographers.
“They assist consistent evidence based and therefore quality patient by articulating the component of our roles in each area of specialties, especially in our pandemic circumstances.
