Anesthetists Want Gov't To Introduce Sub-specialized Areas For Career Progression

The Ghana Association of Registered Certified Anesthetists has called on the government to introduce training into sub-specialized areas of their profession.

Currently, the country has only three schools of anesthesia which only offers students basic training.

While commemorating World Anesthesia Day on Wednesday, President of the Association, Jacob Wumbei said that training into areas like pediatric and obstetric anesthesia is the only way to make their work more efficient.

“They have to create a sub-specialty where in terms of career progression we can practice to the best of our abilities. We have two ways we are proposing to government. One of the ways is that the government should be able to give us scholarship to go and do sub-specialty and come back. In fact, those people who can go and come back can serve as trainers,” he said.

“Another option is that our training schools currently in the country can set up a clinical master's programme because currently, we are the only group that does not have sub-specialty including the physician assistant medicals. Of course, sub-specialty is a way of enhancing efficiency and remunerating the practitioners,” he added.

Calls for help by the Ghana Association of Registered Certified Anesthetists to the government and medical council has been on the rise for some months now.

Earlier on, the Association embarked on a strike action to demand for a name change.

They wanted to be recognized as 'Certified Registered Anesthetists' instead of physician assistants, a name which they claim was 'forced on them' by the Medical and Dental Council.

However, they later called off the strike after being 'pushed to the wall' during a meeting with the Ghana Health Service.

Also in more recent times, some anesthetic graduates who have already passed their licensure exams called on the Medical and Dental Council to speed up the process through which they will be inducted to start an internship.

They complained about being jobless after their registration in August and pleaded on government to come to their aid.

---citinewsroom