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About 27 out of 31 doctors have successfully undergone a six-year academic, clinical and professional medical training, jointly organized by the Medical School of the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). The four other students are yet to fulfill the needed requirements and clearance from the Ghana Medical and Dental Council (GMDC) after which they would join their colleagues to be congratulated in two weeks time. The young doctors, who would receive Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in addition to Bachelor of Science in Human Biology, are expected to undertake an additional two year housemanship at the TTH. Briefing journalists in Tamale on Tuesday, Professor Kobina Kyei-Aboagye, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs of UDS, said the university trained the students in academics programmes for four years while TTH also prepared trained them in clinical and professional studies. Sharing his joy, the Vice Dean said it was a tough journey and a challenge for the institution but with invaluable support from stakeholders, the nation�s dream of training more medical personnel to ensure safe and sound health care delivery was gradually being fulfilled. He said until 2008 when the GMDC accredited the UDS Medical School, medical students of the UDS continued clinical studies at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. Professor Kyei-Aboagye, paid glory tribute to former President John Jerry Rawlings, successive governments and the GMDC for their contribution to the development of UDS. He said the UDS Medical School, which stated in 1997, currently had about 458 students but lack permanent tutors in some subject areas. Dr Ken Sagoe, Chief Executive Officer of TTH, said although the young doctors were free to serve anywhere in the world, stakeholders had put in place measures to retain them in the country after their houseman-ship. Asked about specific steps taken to retain the young doctors, he said: �The type of training and exposure such as community based health care service where they went to the districts to reside and identify their problem and solutions will encourage them to stay and work in the region.� Dr Sagoe said that the hospital would support the young doctors in the form of free accommodation and utility to motivate them to stay in the region. He said TTH had lots of potentials for young doctors and urged them to consider helping the region in its quest to ensure sound health care for all especially those in the communities. In a related development, Dr Akwesi Tumasi, Northern Regional Director of Ghana Health Service, has said the Northern Region had only 11 doctors aside those at the teaching hospital. He told Ghana News Agency that some of doctors who were posted to the region did not report while those who reported did not stay after their houseman-ship.