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The Medical and Dental Council of Ghana (MDC) has announced that it will not honour Medical and Dental Degree Certificates issued by Ukrainian Medical and Dental Schools until normal academic activities resume in that country.

The Council in a public notice also advised students who are currently studying Medicine or Dentistry in Ukraine and who have not taken advantage of the opportunity to continue their training in Ghana to seek transfer to other accredited Medical or Dental Schools in other countries for the completion of their programmes.

It will be recalled that in May, the government constituted a 13-member committee to come out with guidelines to absorb Ghanaian students from Ukraine into the country’s universities to continue their studies.

The committee was chaired by the Special Advisor to the President on Health issues, Dr Anthony Nsiah- Asare. Other members were representatives of the Students Representative Council (SRC), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), the Medical and Dental Council, the Scholarship Secretariat, Vice-Chancellors of Medical Schools and the Rector of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, among others.

Background

Ghanaian medical students in Ukraine had their education truncated due to disturbances occasioned by the ongoing war between the country and Russia.

As a result, Ukrainian medical and dental institutions are currently running online training for students who have not been able to return to the classrooms.

Professional standards

However, the MDC maintains that any online medical or dental training falls short of acceptable professional training standards and won't be accepted in Ghana.

In addition, the Council said its attention "has been drawn to information that some students are undergoing ONLINE Medical and Dental training being organised by schools in Ukraine, China and some other countries".

"For the avoidance of doubt, Council categorically states that ONLINE Medical or Dental training done in any part of the world is short of acceptable professional training standards and is NOT recognised by the Medical and Dental Council, Ghana," the notice reads.

"In the light of above, the Medical and Dental Council, Ghana will NOT honour any Medical or Dental Degree Certificates issued at the end of any ONLINE Medical or Dental training".

Affected students livid

Ghanaian students studying Medicine and Dentistry in Ukraine have expressed their displeasure about the decision of the MDC not to recognise their certificates.

An Executive Member of the National Union of Ghana Students in Ukraine, Henry Brook Smith said the decision had been taken without recourse to the affected stakeholders.

“Ukraine is currently running an offline mode. The online is being organised for those who can’t make it to Ukraine due to the invasion. Our concern is that, this decision has been taken without recourse to the effects on parents and students,” he said in an interview with Citi FM.