UHAS holds a 2-day Leadership Lecture Series

CAMPUS RADIO GHANA     15/04/2018  

UHAS holds a 2-day Leadership Lecture  Series 

(In Memory of Professor John Evans Attah Mills) 

The third of the University of Health and Allied Sciences' leadership lecture series took place on the 13th and 14th of April 2018 with a special congregation on the 14th. 

This year's Professor John Evans Attah Mills leadership lecture series was to be delivered by Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, the Regional Director of WHO African Region, the first woman to occupy the office, but unfortunately was not able to grace the event owing to a medical emergency. However, she was appropriately represented by two distinguished gentlemen, Dr Martin Ota, Advisor WHO African Region for Research and Knowledge Management  and Dr Owen Kaluwa, WHO representative in Ghana. 

The theme for this year's series was "Universal Health Coverage". It was holistically tackled in two lectures under two sub themes. The first, under the sub theme "Focused Leadership and the Journey to Universal Health Coverage : The Role of Academia", was given by Dr. Martin Ota. The role academic institutions can play through research and innovations to address existing gaps along the journey to Universal Health Coverage was highlighted in this lecture. There was time for academic debate, additions and suggestions on issues raised in the lecture. 

On the second day, the day of the special congregation, Dr Owen Kaluwa delivered another lecture on Dr. Matshidiso's behalf. The lecture was under the sub theme, "Transform Health and Accelerate Sustainable Development in Africa : Addressing Universal Health Coverage through Regional and Global Transformation". He touched on the fact that African citizens needed to engage responsibly in matters of health and that countries have to take responsibility for their citizens.

Development partners were admonished to engage differently and enable African governments to make better use of their own resources. Dr Kaluwa highlighted on the stage the African Region had reached in terms of Universal Health  Coverage, some challenges and successes of WHO in the Region, and a roadmap on how to finally reach our ultimate destination of quality, easily accessible health care for all people devoid of any difficulties especially in terms of financing on the part of health care consumers. 

The series ended with a special congregation which was set to honour distinguished personalities whose hard work, selflessness and great service have positively impacted the field of health. These personalities were Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, Dr. Moses Adibo and Pharmacist Kofi Nsiah Poku.

Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, although from Botswana, was born in South Africa in the 1950's. 

She qualified as a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine of the University of London in 1978 and later obtained a Masters in Community Health in Developing Countries at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1986. She has over three decades of national and international experience as a Public Health physician working in several capacities in UNAIDS,  UNICEF, Botswana Ministry of Health and WHO. She assumed her current office on the 27th November, 2015, becoming the first woman to occupy the position. Dr. Matshidiso aims to build a responsive, effective and result driven regional secretariat that can advance efforts towards universal health coverage and accelerate progress towards global development goals, while tackling emerging threats. 

Dr. Moses Adibo was born on September 4, 1932 in Akpafu Todzi in the Volta Region of Ghana. 

He studied Medicine at the University of Belgrade from 1956 to 1963, obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1970 and pursued a WHO sponsored Diploma in Epidemiology programme which was run for three months at the University of Prague in the then Czechoslovakia and another 3 months in the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in New Delhi, India. 

He later obtained a Master of Public Health in Health Planning and Management from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1978. Dr Adibo started his professional career as a Medical Officer in 1964 at the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital. He then moved through the ranks of the Ghana Health Service. In 1988 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Ghana. Dr. Adibo has contributed to health both nationally and internationally. 

He consulted for the Catholic Health Services, the National TB Control Programme and JICA. Beyond our borders, he has provided consultancy for Ministries of Health of several African countries and has been involved with organizations such as Partnership for Transforming Health (PATH), UNICEF and the WHO. He authored and co-authored a few books and reports in the course of his career. 

Pharmacist Kofi Nsiah-Poku, born on 30th December 1960, attended Opoku Ware Secondary School, attained a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and undertook several Executive Development programmes at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

He is a fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana(PSGH) and the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana. 

He is the Founder and Chairman of a group of companies including KINAPHARMA Limited, HEALTHILIFE BEVERAGES Limited, XPERT SECURITY Limited  and GREEN DIAMOND ESTATES AND RESORTS Limited. 

Pharm Nsiah is a former WHO Advisor on Pre-pack antimalarials, a Research and Development Consultant on antimalarials production for clinical studies in Africa, Head of the Drug and Herbal Manufacturing and Quality Assurance division of the Ghana College of Pharmacists, and the current Vice President of the West African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. 

He as a person as well as his company has won several local and international awards.

These giants as recognized by the University were conferred Honorary Doctorate Degrees. In attendance for the two days event were the Chiefs of the Sokode Traditional Area, The Volta Regional Minister, Representative for the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Representatives from some sister universities, delegate from the Ghana Health Service, Senior and junior members of this University, and other distinguished invited guests. 

The UHAS strategic plan was also launched. Both programmes went on smoothly amidst captivating performances from the UHAS cultural society.

The Chairman of the University Council, His Lordship Justice Victor J. M. Dotse in his closing remarks tasked the Vice Chancellor Professor John Owusu Gyapong to see to it that the three lecture series organised so far since its inception be put together to create some sort of strategic pathway to serve as an interface between UHAS and our politicians. 

This, according to the Chairman of the University Council, will enable all these brilliant ideas shared during the lecture series not to go waste but rather, be sent to the doorstep of the people who take the decisions on what is allocated what and what should even be implemented.

By: Yeboah Bernard Gyampo

(Campus Radio Ghana)