The Registrar of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, Dr. Elvis Atikpui, has hailed the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences (UCCSMS) as one of the best medical schools in Ghana. “Per the statistics”, he confirmed, “UCC SMS is becoming the best medical school in Ghana. Not only in terms of academic programmes, but also in terms of conduct” Dr. Atikpui made these statements during the 8th SMS White Coat Ceremony to mark the transition of 65 level 400 medical students from the study of the basic sciences to clinical training. The event, which witnessed a formal robbing of the students in the doctor’s white coat, was also to officially induct them into the medical profession as student doctors. The Registrar congratulated the students on their successful completion on the preclinical programme and advised them to take the clinical training seriously. He entreated them to embrace the values of the profession, which includes respect, dressing, compassionate, humility and tolerance. Dr. Atikpui, however, cautioned them against acts which would bring the enviable image of the profession into dispute. He charged them to explore the social, religious and cultural circumstances of their patients during their interactions with them at the ward so as to get useful information concerning the medical conditions of their patients. “I wish to remind you that the patients are a whole horde of information. They are the new text book for practice. That is where all the answers are,” said Dr. Atikpui, who led the students to administer the medical student’s oath. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, charged them to commit themselves to excellence and to let the health of their patients be of paramount concern to them. He admonished them not to abuse the privileges in the noble profession and challenged them to demonstrate high sense of compassion, honesty, and tolerance in the discharge of their medical duties. The Dean of SMS, Prof. Francis Ofei, urged them to respect the rules and regulations governing the university in order not to fall foul of them during their clinical training. He advised them to use the knowledge they had acquired to serve humanity and to ensure that they lived up to the words contained in the medical student’s oath. The Central Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Samuel Quarshie, who chaired the ceremony, implored the students to make good use of the rich experience of other health workers at the ward and to seek their counsel when the need arose.
