UHAS offers new academic programmes to become nationally, globally versatile  

The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has offered admission to its first cohort of newly developed programmes for the 2024/2025 academic year to sustain versatility and professionalism.

The programmes include, Doctor of Medical Laboratory Sciences (six years undergraduate), Bachelor of Health Service Administration (four years undergraduate), Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Psychology with options in Clinical Psychology, Neuro Psychology, and Counselling Psychology (six years undergraduate and Masters).

Others were, MPhil Midwifery, MPhil and Ph.D. Medical Laboratory Sciences, M.Phil and Ph.D. Pharmacology, M.Phil and Ph.D. Toxicology, MSc, M.Phil and Ph.D. Pharmaceutical Chemistry and M.Phil and Ph.D. Pharmacognosy.

Professor Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor of UHAS, who made the disclosure during the Matriculation of students for the 2024/2025 academic year, said that the new programmes aligned seamlessly with UHAS mission of advancing healthcare, education and producing competent healthcare professionals to address national and global healthcare needs.

She said it focused on student-centred practical, skills-based training for better outcomes and employability.

She said the justification stemmed from pressing global demand for advanced expertise in public health, research for development, produce professionals, who could lead innovation in the 21st Century, improve outcomes towards precision medicine.

She said currently, the University was running undergraduate and 25 postgraduate programmes in the various fields of Health and Allied Sciences.

Vice Chancellor Aziato disclosed that 4,640 were offered admission out of a total of 14,412 undergraduate applications received.

For the postgraduate programmes, 285 admissions were offered out of 417 applications received with 249 students enrolling, representing 45.8 per cent females and 54.2 per cent males.

Overall, Prof Aziato said undergraduate and postgraduate total student enrollment stood at 2,775 for the 2024/2025 academic year, posting a 50 per cent growth in enrollment compared to the 1,850 in the previous academic year.

She said UHAS offered Access and Top-up programmes, delivered through Sandwich mode and announced the activation of weekend Master's programme at the Fred N, Binka's School of Public Health for the working class, who could not gain study leave with other Schools replicating this example soon.

She urged the freshers to be guided by the four beliefs of UHAS, Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Service and Care and be worthy ambassadors at all times.

“Strive to achieve excellence by developing critical thinking skills and maintaining the right balance between your academic and social life.”

Prof Aziato mentioned pressing challenges of the University as lack of potable water, students and staff accommodation at both Ho and Hohoe campuses, projectors, internal roads and streetlights and appealed for support nationally and internationally towards resolving these needs.

UHAS places a high premium on the welfare of students, urging students to take advantage of the Office of the Dean of Students and never suffer in silence.

She said the University frowned on exam malpractice and sanctions would be swift and fully applied and urged students to exhibit self-discipline and be mindful of their environment, security and report suspicious characters noting that “no human endeavour can attain the desired level of success without discipline. Be ready to sacrifice your human desires for a better tomorrow.”

“We assure you that you are in the right place at the right time. I wish you a blissful learning and productive time at UHAS, the number one in health professional training in Ghana, applauding freshers for their admission and becoming junior members of UHAS 'in statu pupillary.'”

Mr James Gunu, Volta Regional Minister, who launched the new programmes, assured management and students that the challenges of the University would be fixed in consultation with the Coordinating Council, government and development partners.

He acknowledged that the vision of late President John Evans Atta Mills, who established UHAS, to be the pre-eminent research and practically oriented health educational institution was alive and believed that the sky would be the starting point.

He said UHAS was the first public University solely dedicated to training health professionals to contribute to address diverse health issues in the country and beyond and the needed support would be accorded it to succeed.

GNA