My Blog

Tag: medicine and healthcare

  • GTEC DG Explores Innovations at Family Health University

    GTEC DG Explores Innovations at Family Health University

    Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, has paid an informal visit to Family Health University (FHU), to observe the institution’s progress since receiving its Presidential Charter.

    The visit was hosted by FHU’s Founder and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Enyonam Yao Kwawukume and Dr. Susu Bridget Kwawukume, Founder and Chief Medical Director of Family Health Hospital. They welcomed the GTEC Director-General, with gratitude, highlighting how meaningful the visit was to the institution, and expressed their heartfelt appreciation for GTEC’s unwavering support over the years.

    Senior Members present at the meeting included the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Philip Odonkor; the Registrar, Mrs. Rita Kaine; Dean of the Medical School, Dr. Sylvester Yaw Oppong; Acting Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr. Augustina Ofori-Asamoah; GEMP Coordinator, Professor Festus Adzaku; Director of Academics and Students Affairs, Dr. Emmanuel Labram; the immediate past Dean of the Medical School, Dr. Charles Fleischer-Djoleto; the Hospital Administrator, Madam Joana Agyare, and the Matron of the Hospital, Madam Veronica Amedo.

    In his remarks, the GTEC Director-General commended the university’s “massive speed of development within a short time,” praising it as evidence of visionary leadership, a strong governing board, and a highly qualified faculty. He noted that FHU’s rapid growth and innovation affirmed its prestigious status as Ghana’s first private chartered university with a medical school.

    Prof. Kwawukume also shed light on FHU’s contributions to global healthcare, particularly its hallmark bloodless fibroid surgical method, now gaining attention from global health bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    In the area of public health, Prof. Kwawukume reiterated FHU’s commitment to research, and pledged to eliminate cervical cancer in the Teshie-Nungua enclave within five years. He also expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of Professor Timothy R.B. Johnson, a founding mentor whose role in shaping FHU’s success was invaluable. A newly named e-library on campus now bears his name in honour.

    The visit also sparked critical discussions on policy. Dr. Sylvester Yaw Oppong, the Dean of the Medical School, made a passionate appeal for government support in the form of tax rebates for medical equipment, and also advocated for the extension of fee waivers for first-year students in private chartered universities, emphasising national equity in education.

    Looking to the future, FHU announced its commitment to explore AI-assisted health technologies through local partnerships to enhance medical education and healthcare delivery.

    The GTEC Director reaffirmed the Commission’s support for private science-based universities, noting that many private institutions are not profit-driven but face challenges that require national support.

    The visit concluded with a campus tour, including stops at the ultra-modern emergency wards, dialysis unit, cadaver lodge, lecture halls, the university library, and the e-library. Prof. Abdulai also engaged with students, spoke briefly about the work of GTEC, and encouraged them to study diligently.

    The visit marks a renewed chapter of collaboration between FHU and GTEC, reinforcing the role of visionary private institutions in Ghana’s tertiary and healthcare education space.

    The post
    GTEC DG Visits Family Health University
    appeared first on
    DailyGuide Network
    .

    Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
    Syndigate.info
    ).

  • Global Fund Now Purchasing Kenyan-Made Antimalarial Drugs

    Global Fund Now Purchasing Kenyan-Made Antimalarial Drugs


    A batch of life-saving Kenyan-manufactured antimalarial drugs, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine (SPAQ), is on its way to protect millions of children in Mali.


    Manufactured by Universal Corporation Limited (UCL), a Kenyan pharmaceutical company based in Kikuyu, the seven million-dose consignment will be the first-ever Global Fund procurement from an African manufacturer.


    The medicines will be supplied to Mali through the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) programme, which provides key interventions used to protect millions of children under five from malaria each year during the rainy season.


    Malaria, a life-threatening disease spread to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes is mostly found in tropical countries. Despite it being highly preventable and curable, it remains among the leading killer diseases, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, with children under the age of five bearing the brunt.


    In 2023, According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 267 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths were in 2023 in the region.


    “The WHO African Region continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2023 the Region was home to about 94 per cent of all malaria cases and 95 per cent of deaths. Children under five years of age accounted for about 76 per cent of all malaria deaths in the Region,” WHO said in a statement on December 11, 2024.


    Historically, malaria medicines used in different programs across the continent are sourced mostly from European or Asian manufacturers.


    However despite playing a key role in reducing the severity of the disease over the years, this strategy left the region vulnerable to some external shocks and supply delays.


    With technical support from Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and an Indian-based company, Rena, UCL obtained WHO prequalification of, SPAQ in 2023, becoming the first manufacturer to do so, and earlier this year in May, the factory penned history after receiving a major procurement order from the Global Fund.


    The Global Fund, which is formally known as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, is a partnership that mobilises resources, from donors and other partners to combat these three diseases, especially in counties that have been most affected.


    With the UCL-produced drugs, each of Mali’s 1.8 million children will receive four preventive doses, significantly reducing their risk of falling ill or dying from malaria, throughout the rainy season.


    According to Perviz Nadhani, UCL’s managing director, in a briefing this month, there is an urgent need for collective effort between the government and the private sector to elevate regional drug manufacturing.


    Nadhani affirmed that the move will be pivotal in cushioning the continent against other emerging pressures such as new diseases, strained global funding, extreme weather events, biological threats including insecticide and drug resistance, and inequalities in access to care.


    “This is a win for the continent, not just Kenya or Mali. We are proud to show that African manufacturers can meet global standards and deliver for African communities,” said Dhanani.


    He spoke on Friday during a high-level visit convened by UCL, and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), at the Kikuyu-based plant.


    Representatives from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the WHO, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and leading research and policy institutions also joined the visit.


    Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, asserted that the prequalification and procurement of the drugs will be key to setting the pace for other African manufacturers to meet global standards and reinforce the continent’s pharmaceutical capacity.


    “Africa bears the heaviest burden of malaria, and it must have the capacity to supply its life-saving solutions. Our collaboration with UCL is part of a broader effort gathering momentum, to localize production and unlock regional manufacturing ecosystems,” Fitchet said.

    Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
    Syndigate.info
    ).