Lexington, KY: On April 23rd, 2022, the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana (MDC) formalized its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America (GPSF). The memorandum was signed at the 19th Annual GPSF Conference that was held in Washington DC. The Memorandum was signed by the Registrar of the MDC, Dr. Divine Ndonbi Banyubala and the President of GPSF, Dr. Bertha Serwa Ayi.

The MOU brings to fruition many years of discussions between previous GPSF executives and the MDC regarding the bottleneck created by the credentialing and licensing process for US-based Ghanaian physicians as well as other physicians with a vested interest in the post-graduate medical education in Ghana. The MOU will expedite the process and reduce the cost by fifty percent. Another provision is a waiver of examination in certain special situations for select US-based physicians. This expedited process will be provided through membership with GPSF. In addition, it will help to address GPSF’s founding mandate to provide educational and faculty support to the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Present at the signing were the Chairperson on the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Honorable Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie and the Ranking Member, Honorable Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh. Dr. Afriyie gave his support of the MOU and emphasized the importance of having all stakeholders at the table in such important decisions. Dr. Afriyie endorsed the plan and vouched to ensure its smooth implementation. The Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Richard Adanu was also present for the signing and emphasized this key step in improving access for US-based physicians to filling key roles in training and education at the College. The President of GPSF thanked the MDC and the College for making this long-term goal a reality. Present at the signing were outgoing President of GPSF, Dr. Afua Nyanin and other attendees of the conference.

The Foundation and MDC have also worked together in the past to facilitate the credentialing of graduates with the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, (a training program unique to the United States) to be licensed to work in Ghana.