The School of Medical Sciences (SMS) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has organised its 16th white coat ceremony for 155 level 400 medical students to commence their clinicals in line with their training to become medical professionals.
Held at the New Examination Centre (NEC), the event marked the beginning of the medical journey for the students, as they donned their white coats and pledged their commitment to the ideals of the medical profession.
The students were robed in white coats - a knee-length overcoat often recognised universally as a uniform of professionals in the medical field.
The students, who are currently in Level 400, will graduate in 2028.
They took the medical Student’s Oath, pledging a lifetime of service in prioritising patient welfare, ethical conduct and continuous professional growth to relieve suffering and also protect patient information.
A Deputy Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy(DRIC), Prof. Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, administered the SMS Oath to the students.
Theme
Delivering the keynote address, on the theme:“ Empowering Doctors for the Provision of Healthcare in the 21st Century Through Innovative Medical Education”, the Chief Executive Officer of Health Tech Ghana Limited, Mr. Daniel Morkla, urged the students to embrace emerging technologies to advance healthcare delivery in Ghana.
He underscored the critical role of Artificial Intelligence in the advancement of modern medical care, advocating strongly for its adoption.
Mr. Morkla indicated that AI was not a replacement for human expertise but must be harnessed for the betterment of the medical profession.
He stressed that it was impossible to fight technology in today’s complex world and, thus, young doctors must embrace it and learn to use it properly to enhance their work.
“ Healthcare technology must be your friend because it makes things easier. Today, we are using AI to generate reports, and the AI picks up things a radiologist may normally not see,” he said.
The CEO maintained that the core competencies of a modern-day doctor must include computing skills.
“ With the evolution of medical technologies in healthcare delivery aided by AI, it is imperative that medical education infuses some of these technologies into the training of doctors and the frontline health professionals,” he added.
Chief Executive Officer of Health Tech Ghana Limited, Mr. Daniel Morkla
He advised the students to believe in their vision and follow it through with commitment and dedication.
In a statement read on his behalf, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Denis Aheto, advised the students to exhibit virtues such as honesty, compassion and truthfulness in their work.
He expressed the school’s commitment to ensuring a medical education that was relevant to Ghana, Africa and the world at large.
In an address, the Dean of UCCSMS, Prof. Sebastian Eliason, expressed the commitment of the School towards the training of medical doctors to meet the demand of today’s challenging times.
He, however, cautioned the students that white coat was not a symbol of expertise but of humility, which showed that they were only learners.
Some of the medical students at the ceremony
He entreated them to commit to ethical practice, social responsibility, and the wider community while cultivating a resilient and adaptable approach to learning as medical knowledge was constantly expanding.
“Carry with you the weight of the profession’s trust, the legacy of those who came before you and the responsibility to shape the future. Embrace the challenge ahead for it is through innovation that you will truly make a difference,” he said.
Prof. Eliason stressed the importance of inter-professional teamwork in the medical profession and urged the students to build trusting relationships with their patients.
A Healthcare Practitioner at the Central Regional Health Directorate and alumna of the School, Dr. Agnes Anane, emphasized the importance of personal branding and competence in the medical field.
She entreated the students to build their brands consciously and identify their strengths and weaknesses to support one another to grow, and underscored the essence of patient confidentiality, saying “respect a patient’s medical condition and treat it as confidential”.