KNUST Signs MoU With VALCO Trust Fund, Bekwai Municipal Hospital To Build A 66-Bed Capacity Student Hostel
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) Trust Fund and Bekwai Municipal Hospital on Wednesday 17th April 2024 at the Council Chamber of the University. The agreement embodies a shared commitment to fostering mutual collaborations among the signatory parties. Specifically, it serves as a framework for KNUST's utilisation of the designated facility as a teaching site and accommodation venue under the auspices of the College of Health Sciences (CHS).
According to the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Professor Christian Agyare, the increment in the enrolment of medical students has necessitated the decision to seek additional training facility support beyond the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to train the students during their clinical studies. As a result, he said that the College engaged with the Management of the Bekwai Municipal Hospital to enable students to have hands-on clinical experience in their state-of-the-art facility. Professor Agyare highlighted accommodation as a significant hurdle in the effort to educate emerging healthcare professionals within the hospital setting. Consequently, a partnership was forged with the VALCO Trust Fund to establish a 66-room hostel facility alongside a 100-capacity lecture facility equipped with office spaces. Expressing optimism during the signing ceremony, he anticipated the project's timely completion within a span of 6 months to 1 year. Such endeavours aim to alleviate congestion at KATH, thereby fostering a conducive environment for the comprehensive training of aspiring healthcare practitioners.
In his remarks, Mr. Kelvin Kwaku Yeboah, the Executive Director of the VALCO Trust Fund lauded the relationship that has existed between both institutions over the years, serving as a foundation for mutual collaboration and knowledge exchange. He echoed the Provost’s sentiment on the importance of expanding access to medical education. He deemed it as a good initiative which is in line with the mandate of the VALCO Trust Fund and same as the vision of the Chancellor of the University and Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. Expressing his excitement for the MoU, Mr. Yeboah assured that within 1-year, the edifice would be completed and handed over to KNUST. He further disclosed plans of his outfit to establish a Clinical Simulation Centre on campus in the coming months.
Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, emphasised the importance of constructive partnerships with stakeholders for training and research, especially in grooming 21st-century professionals. ‘‘We believe in what we can do with corporate organisations and other partners to advance the mandate of this University,” she said. Professor (Mrs.) Dickson hoped for a successful completion of the proposed facility to enable the training and development of future health professionals for Africa and the world at large. ‘We are glad to join hands with VALCO Trust Fund to work together to serve humanity,’ she added.
The Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Honourable Joseph Osei-Owusu, remarked that the ceremony was a dream come true as the training of medical students has over the years been a necessity. He assured the stakeholders of his outfits readiness to ensure the smooth completion of the proposed facility.
Dr. Frank Serebour, the Medical Superintendent of the Bekwai Municipal Hospital, and an alumnus of KNUST, expressed his excitement for the maintained standards in the training of healthcare students at KNUST. He commended KNUST’s initiative of spreading the students to other well-equipped teaching hospitals in Ghana. As a new hospital inaugurated in November 2020, Dr. Serebour was pleased that the lecturers for the clinical training would also serve as consultants to augment the hospital staff. He thanked the University for choosing the Bekwai Municipal Hospital and promised to offer the necessary support to the students.
