Lancaster University Ghana together with Transnational Education Ghana and Lancaster University UK hosted its inaugural Health Conference on 8th and 9th September, 2016.
The purpose of this conference was to bring together leading academics, policy makers, clinicians, practitioners and students from the UK and West Africa with the view to assessing current and future challenges for medical management in West Africa. By attending this conference, delegates had the opportunity to learn about contemporary research in health and medicine, shared research ideas and networked with practitioners and researchers from the UK and West Africa.
The two-day conference dubbed ‘Current and Future Challenges for Medical Management in West Africa’ attracted public health professionals such as doctors, nurses and midwives. Also present were policy makers, lecturers and doctoral candidates from Ghana, UK, Nigeria and Scotland who showcased their research in the field while also gaining added input from the exchange of ideas and methods presented by others.
Keynote speakers include Professor Tracy Humphrey (Dean of School of Nursing & Midwifery & Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland), Dr. Jemima Dennis-Antwi, (President of the Ghana College of Nurses & Midwives), ), Dr. Derek Gatherer (Lecturer, Lancaster University), Dr. Luigi Sedda (Lecturer, Lancaster University), Professor Roger Pickup (Lecturer, Lancaster University) and Dr. Gilbert Buckle (CEO of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital).
Other speakers delivered papers on topics such as non-tuberculous bacteria, kidney transplantation in sub-Saharan Africa, current and future challenges for medical management of novel diseases in West Africa sub-region, managing spinal trauma in Abuja, empowered to care: meeting the challenges in the health care management in West Africa and beyond, illness representing the psychological and distress as predators of medication adherence among diabetics, improving access to maternity care in rural Malawi amongst others.
As part of the conference, a workshop was held particularly for nurses and midwives on the topic “Empowered to care: meeting the challenges in healthcare management in West Africa and beyond”.
Feedback from the nurses from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital revealed that the conference was highly educative and will help them improve their practice in diverse ways. It also helped in the context of their duties and responsibilities, to leverage their strength and be empowered to approach and solve problems themselves.
Professor John Grainger, Provost of Lancaster University Ghana said that the country is now the home of LUG and is committed to offer the highest quality education.
He also said “the event also marked a transition for the University and its students, since management would also be moving towards the expansion of the University with additional health science and engineering and other programmes. Lancaster University is currently providing an 18 month health management programme for 24 hospital CEOs in Gauteng, South Africa” he added.
Visit our Facebook page for pictures from the Health Conference
