‘Review retiring age for medical specialists’ (Front page)

The Rector of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Professor David Ofori-Adjei, has observed that the compulsory 60-year retirement age for medical specialists in the public service is taking a toll on the manpower the health sector requires for specialist training.

He said it was therefore necessary to take another look at the issue, given that for certain categories in academia and the legal professions, provision had been made for those who had traversed the 60-year line. 

“Some have wondered why medical specialists in the public service are put to pasture at an age when their practice, experience and knowledge has matured,” he said at the 11th Annual General Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the college in Accra yesterday. 

The AGSM is used to review the performance, prospects and challenges of the college. It also provides for the established tradition of admitting deserving individuals as members and fellows.

This year’s programme had the theme: “Improving Emergency Care in Ghana.”

Time to look at retirement age again 

Article 145 (2) of the 1992 Constitution pegs the compulsory retirement age of Supreme Court and Appeal Court judges at 70 and that of High Court judges and Chairmen of Regional Tribunals at 65 years. 

Over the years, opinions have been divided over the retirement age of health professionals, especially at a time the country is in dire need of bridging the patient-doctor/nurse ratio.

Apart from Uganda, which had considered reducing the retirement age of public servants from 60 to 50 in 2010 to create jobs for young graduates, in other jurisdictions, retirement ages are going up. 

In 2010, Tanzania introduced a new scheme to bring medical workers out of retirement to fill in gaps in hospitals. 

The doctors and nurses from the 'Retired but not Tired' project were ostensibly meant to help run the country’s understaffed health services.  

In South Africa, the government, in 2012, said it was considering increasing the pension age of university professors from 60 to 80.

In Zimbabwe, the government wants to increase the retirement age for lecturers from 65 to 70 to retain staff. The country's economic meltdown led to an exodus of thousands of professionals from the country. 

Spain in 2010 increased the retirement age from 65 to 67 to cut public spending. 

Similarly, in Poland the government increased the retiring age from 65 to 67 for men and from 60 to 62 for women due to their higher life expectancy and to reduce public spending.

Decentralisation of health training 

In a speech that also covered areas such as new faculties for the college, e-learning, quality of products from the college, an endowment fund, as well as the college’s strategic plan, the rector urged the country’s teaching hospitals to increase their efforts at sponsoring doctors into residency training, for their own use. 

Prof. Ofori-Adjei observed that there was an overconcentration of postgraduate doctors under training and specialists in the teaching hospitals, particularly Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye—a situation that constrained the availability of medical officers and specialists in the regional and district health facilities.

“This situation is partly due to lack of training centres and the failure to post doctors out of the teaching hospitals after residency programmes,” he said. 

He also said in the coming years, the college would decentralise its training programme and accredit health facilities in the regions for postgraduate medical training.

In that regard, the academic board of the college recently approved a modular training programme in Family Medicine that would keep doctors at their place of work while undergoing training.

Prof. Ofori-Adjei added that the success of the system would inform the introduction of similar programmes in key specialties, including Surgery, Child Health and Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Vice-President  commends college 

The Vice-President, Mr Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, paid a glowing tribute to the college and observed that its establishment had reduced the high rate of medical practitioners who were sponsored in the past for post-graduate professional training abroad.

According to him, from about 49 per cent in 1998, the rate of emigration of Ghanaian medical graduates had declined to about 14 per cent in 2008. 

According to the 2012 Annual Report of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2010 – 2013) Ghana’s doctor-patient ratio stood at 1:10,452 falling short of the 1:9,700 ratio set for that year.

The Vice-President, therefore, urged the college to encourage its trainees to appreciate the need for the rural population to also benefit from the fruits of its labour.

The Rector of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Professor David Ofori-Adjei, has observed that the compulsory 60-year retirement age for medical specialists in the public service is taking a toll on the manpower the health sector requires for specialist training.

He said it was therefore necessary to take another look at the issue, given that for certain categories in academia and the legal professions, provision had been made for those who had traversed the 60-year line.
“Some have wondered why medical specialists in the public service are put to pasture at an age when their practice, experience and knowledge has matured,” he said at the 11th Annual General Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the college in Accra yesterday.
The AGSM is used to review the performance, prospects and challenges of the college. It also provides for the established tradition of admitting deserving individuals as members and fellows.
This year’s programme had the theme: “Improving Emergency Care in Ghana.”

Time to look at retirement age again 

Article 145 (2) of the 1992 Constitution pegs the compulsory retirement age of Supreme Court and Appeal Court judges at 70 and that of High Court judges and Chairmen of Regional Tribunals at 65 years.
Over the years, opinions have been divided over the retirement age of health professionals, especially at a time the country is in dire need of bridging the patient-doctor/nurse ratio.
Apart from Uganda, which had considered reducing the retirement age of public servants from 60 to 50 in 2010 to create jobs for young graduates, in other jurisdictions, retirement ages are going up.
In 2010, Tanzania introduced a new scheme to bring medical workers out of retirement to fill in gaps in hospitals.
The doctors and nurses from the 'Retired but not Tired' project were ostensibly meant to help run the country’s understaffed health services.
In South Africa, the government, in 2012, said it was considering increasing the pension age of university professors from 60 to 80.
In Zimbabwe, the government wants to increase the retirement age for lecturers from 65 to 70 to retain staff. The country's economic meltdown led to an exodus of thousands of professionals from the country.
Spain in 2010 increased the retirement age from 65 to 67 to cut public spending.
Similarly, in Poland the government increased the retiring age from 65 to 67 for men and from 60 to 62 for women due to their higher life expectancy and to reduce public spending.

Decentralisation of health training 

In a speech that also covered areas such as new faculties for the college, e-learning, quality of products from the college, an endowment fund, as well as the college’s strategic plan, the rector urged the country’s teaching hospitals to increase their efforts at sponsoring doctors into residency training, for their own use.
Prof. Ofori-Adjei observed that there was an overconcentration of postgraduate doctors under training and specialists in the teaching hospitals, particularly Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye—a situation that constrained the availability of medical officers and specialists in the regional and district health facilities.
“This situation is partly due to lack of training centres and the failure to post doctors out of the teaching hospitals after residency programmes,” he said.
He also said in the coming years, the college would decentralise its training programme and accredit health facilities in the regions for postgraduate medical training.
In that regard, the academic board of the college recently approved a modular training programme in Family Medicine that would keep doctors at their place of work while undergoing training.
Prof. Ofori-Adjei added that the success of the system would inform the introduction of similar programmes in key specialties, including Surgery, Child Health and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Vice-President  commends college 

The Vice-President, Mr Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, paid a glowing tribute to the college and observed that its establishment had reduced the high rate of medical practitioners who were sponsored in the past for post-graduate professional training abroad.
According to him, from about 49 per cent in 1998, the rate of emigration of Ghanaian medical graduates had declined to about 14 per cent in 2008.
According to the 2012 Annual Report of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2010 – 2013) Ghana’s doctor-patient ratio stood at 1:10,452 falling short of the 1:9,700 ratio set for that year.
The Vice-President, therefore, urged the college to encourage its trainees to appreciate the need for the rural population to also benefit from the fruits of its labour

- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/35214-review-retiring-age-for-medical-specialists.html#sthash.rUbuEHbD.dpuf

The Rector of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Professor David Ofori-Adjei, has observed that the compulsory 60-year retirement age for medical specialists in the public service is taking a toll on the manpower the health sector requires for specialist training.

He said it was therefore necessary to take another look at the issue, given that for certain categories in academia and the legal professions, provision had been made for those who had traversed the 60-year line.
“Some have wondered why medical specialists in the public service are put to pasture at an age when their practice, experience and knowledge has matured,” he said at the 11th Annual General Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the college in Accra yesterday.
The AGSM is used to review the performance, prospects and challenges of the college. It also provides for the established tradition of admitting deserving individuals as members and fellows.
This year’s programme had the theme: “Improving Emergency Care in Ghana.”

Time to look at retirement age again 

Article 145 (2) of the 1992 Constitution pegs the compulsory retirement age of Supreme Court and Appeal Court judges at 70 and that of High Court judges and Chairmen of Regional Tribunals at 65 years.
Over the years, opinions have been divided over the retirement age of health professionals, especially at a time the country is in dire need of bridging the patient-doctor/nurse ratio.
Apart from Uganda, which had considered reducing the retirement age of public servants from 60 to 50 in 2010 to create jobs for young graduates, in other jurisdictions, retirement ages are going up.
In 2010, Tanzania introduced a new scheme to bring medical workers out of retirement to fill in gaps in hospitals.
The doctors and nurses from the 'Retired but not Tired' project were ostensibly meant to help run the country’s understaffed health services.
In South Africa, the government, in 2012, said it was considering increasing the pension age of university professors from 60 to 80.
In Zimbabwe, the government wants to increase the retirement age for lecturers from 65 to 70 to retain staff. The country's economic meltdown led to an exodus of thousands of professionals from the country.
Spain in 2010 increased the retirement age from 65 to 67 to cut public spending.
Similarly, in Poland the government increased the retiring age from 65 to 67 for men and from 60 to 62 for women due to their higher life expectancy and to reduce public spending.

Decentralisation of health training 

In a speech that also covered areas such as new faculties for the college, e-learning, quality of products from the college, an endowment fund, as well as the college’s strategic plan, the rector urged the country’s teaching hospitals to increase their efforts at sponsoring doctors into residency training, for their own use.
Prof. Ofori-Adjei observed that there was an overconcentration of postgraduate doctors under training and specialists in the teaching hospitals, particularly Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye—a situation that constrained the availability of medical officers and specialists in the regional and district health facilities.
“This situation is partly due to lack of training centres and the failure to post doctors out of the teaching hospitals after residency programmes,” he said.
He also said in the coming years, the college would decentralise its training programme and accredit health facilities in the regions for postgraduate medical training.
In that regard, the academic board of the college recently approved a modular training programme in Family Medicine that would keep doctors at their place of work while undergoing training.
Prof. Ofori-Adjei added that the success of the system would inform the introduction of similar programmes in key specialties, including Surgery, Child Health and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Vice-President  commends college 

The Vice-President, Mr Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, paid a glowing tribute to the college and observed that its establishment had reduced the high rate of medical practitioners who were sponsored in the past for post-graduate professional training abroad.
According to him, from about 49 per cent in 1998, the rate of emigration of Ghanaian medical graduates had declined to about 14 per cent in 2008.
According to the 2012 Annual Report of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2010 – 2013) Ghana’s doctor-patient ratio stood at 1:10,452 falling short of the 1:9,700 ratio set for that year.
The Vice-President, therefore, urged the college to encourage its trainees to appreciate the need for the rural population to also benefit from the fruits of its labour

- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/35214-review-retiring-age-for-medical-specialists.html#sthash.rUbuEHbD.dpuf