Rules & Regulations

Rules and Regulations for Conduct of Postgraduate medical and dental training in Ghana

1. Selection of Residents

Residents shall be admitted into the programme after satisfying the following conditions:

  • Be aged 40 years or less
  • Have completed two-years house job with rotations in all four major disciplines
  • One of the two years of the house job must have been spent outside a teaching hospital, preferably in an approved regional or district hospital.
  • Must be fully registered with the Medical and Dental Council, Ghana.
  • Pass an entrance examination (including an interview) organized by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, unless exempted from the examination or part of it. Candidates who have passed the Primary examination of the West African Colleges or their equivalent may be exempted from the written examination but will be interviewed.
  • Have had satisfactory performance appraisal without any major disciplinary action taken against him/her over the past two years.
  • Formally accept the conditions of the award of sponsorship and the rules and regulations contained in this document.
  • The award of the sponsorship may be terminated if the Resident does not make satisfactory progress or does not meet any of the rules and regulations of the residency programme.
  • The Resident signs a bond to serve the government of Ghana as determined by the Minister of Health.

2. Conditions

The following rules apply during the tenure of the sponsorship

  • Withdrawal from the programme also means withdrawal from the training position.
  • The award will be for three years for all residents in the postgraduate programmes. The period of this initial award may be longer if the design of the programmes requires more than three (3) years. For example, Radiology, Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics. For trainees in diploma programmes the period of award will be shorter.
  • During this period the residents must successfully complete the Primary and Part I examinations if they are pursuing programmes of the West African Colleges (WAC). Residents pursuing the Membership programme of the Ghana College must have passed the Part I and Part II examinations of the College. Those who do not pass the appropriate examinations by the end of the three years will be withdrawn and may pursue their examinations on their own.
  • Six months of the three years MUST be spent in recognized health institutions outside the teaching hospitals and in the regions.
  • A Fellowship award may be made after the first three years for further training either to complete the Fellowship of the West African Colleges or to go into sub-specialty training under the Ghana College programmes. The length of award during the Fellowship will vary from one to three years.

3. Fees

  • The MOH and other sponsors will pay agreed fees for each stage of the programme to the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.
  • The MOH (and other sponsors) will pay a book allowance to the residents in two stages (i) the Membership or Part I stage (WAC) and (ii) Fellowship or Part 2 stage (WAC).
  • Residents will be expected to pay for all examination fees. The fees may be claimed from the MOH upon successful completion of the programme e.g. Membership of the Ghana College or Part I of the West African Colleges. The refund of the fees will be the cost of THREE attempts at each examination. Further attempts will be funded by the resident and is not refundable.
  • Fees for Fellowship examinations will be refunded by the Ministry of Health, for a maximum of three attempts after the successful completion of the Fellowship programme.
  • The cost of dissertations will be paid for by the MOH.

4. Academic Activities

The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons will promote the following programmes and the residents are expected to attend as follows:

  • 40 lectures per year in each training department.
  • 40 tutorials per year in each training department.
  • 40 clinical demonstrations in each training department.
  • One clinico-pathological conference/seminar/audit or equivalent per month in each discipline at each training department.
  • Journal Club to meet at least once a month in each training centre, but where possible departmentally-based

5. Every resident is expected to attend:

  • At least two Continuing Medical Education (C.M.E) courses per year, other than 5 (ii) and iii below
  • One Update course per year OR
  • One Revision course per year
  • The length of (i) above will be decided by each Faculty Board

6. Log Books

Every resident will be provided with a LOG BOOK. These must be filled timeously. Besides the competences and skills set out in the log book all the activities in sections 4 and 5 above shall also be filled in the log book.

7.Mentors

A mentor will be assigned to each resident for guidance and support during the training period.

8.Resident Assessments

A Resident Assessment Interview will be held every six months by a panel.

9. Log Book Review

In the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons programmes, ALL LOG BOOKS WILL BE EXAMINED AT LEAST THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE PART 2 examination. Residents with incomplete or unsatisfactory log books WILL NOT BE PERMITTED to take the examinations. Candidates taking other examinations are advised to study the College’s requirements with respect to the log book, if any.

10. External Attachments

No external (foreign) attachments will be permitted in the first three years of the residency programme, viz Membership (or Part I, WAC) stage. This may be reviewed on the recommendation of the Faculty Committee to the Rector. But the MOH will not provide financial support for external attachment at the Membership or its equivalent stage.

11. Bonding

  • The candidate for medical postgraduate training being sponsored by the Ministry of Health is bonded to follow the following conditions of the sponsor. Default of any of these conditions will result in termination of study and a refund of costs expended on the individual including interest.
  • For residents who successfully complete the Ghana College Membership (or Part I, WAC) the period of service under the bond will be 3 years. For residents who successfully complete the Fellowship training in Ghana the period of service under the bond will be 3 years. Residents who undertake their Fellowship training abroad, Athrough direct or indirect sponsorship of the government of Ghana, will serve a period of 4 years under the bond.
  • The candidate must maintain good ethical conduct, high professional behaviour and performance during the duration of training and bond period.
  • Any trainee abandoning the course before completion without the written permission of the Rector, will be liable to the refund of all costs plus interest as detailed in 11.5 below
  • The value of the bond is equivalent to the cost of the following items which are expended on the candidate, revised for inflation and currency fluctuations, plus the prevailing bank interest rate:
    1. Tuition Fees
    2. Fees for courses
    3. Travel and living expenses deemed necessary by the Ministry of health in pursuit of the training programme, including Fellowship abroad, where this is undertaken.
    4. Local travel costs for college programmes
    5. Book allowances
    6. Dissertation or thesis allowances where necessary