By Hosea Parah
The representative of the West African Colleges, Yao Tettey, has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to increase funding for specialised medical training and facilities to strengthen advanced healthcare delivery across the sub-region.
As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Tettey, who made the appeal in Abuja during the Integration Meeting of Accredited West African Colleges, Training Institutions and Regulatory Bodies in the ECOWAS region, emphasised the importance of regional cooperation.
He commended the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) for supporting efforts to harmonise postgraduate medical training and sub-specialty programmes across member states, describing the initiative as particularly important.
“The initiative followed concerns raised by ECOWAS Heads of State over prolonged fellowship training, which delayed the availability of specialists to provide advanced healthcare services,” Tettey said.
He explained that the Assembly of Health Ministers subsequently urged medical colleges to develop middle-level specialists capable of addressing healthcare needs across larger populations within the sub-region.
“The Assembly of Health Ministers subsequently urged medical colleges to develop middle-level specialists capable of attending to the healthcare needs of larger populations,” Tettey said.
He said the colleges responded by introducing the membership examination as an exit assessment, enabling successful candidates to obtain certification and serve as specialists in district hospitals.
Tettey said the colleges had expanded training beyond general fellowship programmes to include sub-specialties, addressing the region’s continued dependence on foreign countries for advanced medical treatment and services.
He commended WAHO for supporting the development and harmonisation of sub-specialty programmes, expressing confidence that the ongoing exercise would produce a document for regional implementation.
The representative, however, identified inadequate funding and medical equipment as major obstacles to specialised healthcare delivery, noting that some trained specialists had left their countries.
He explained that some specialists who returned to Ghana after advanced training could not practise their expertise because hospitals lacked the necessary equipment and facilities.
Tettey expressed optimism that emerging regional centres of excellence were encouraging specialists to return home and provide highly specialised medical services in their respective countries.
He cited interventional cardiology and renal transplantation as examples of advanced medical services being developed in Nigeria and other countries across the West African sub-region.
He appealed to ECOWAS leaders to provide sustained financial support for specialised healthcare professionals and facilities to enable them to deliver advanced medical services locally.
Tettey said harmonised programmes must address population healthcare needs while strengthening the region’s capacity to provide specialised treatment and reduce dependence on foreign medical facilities.