Lack of infrastructure impeding enrolment of more medical students at KNUST  - Ghana Business News

Inadequate facilities at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are limiting student enrollment. This issue affects the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) at KNUST in Kumasi.

Professor Akwasi Antwi-Kusi, Dean of KNUST-SMS, highlighted this problem. He noted that the school could admit more students if it had better infrastructure. The lack of lecture theatres and seminar rooms is a significant barrier.

This year, the school shortlisted 1,040 applicants for interviews. These applicants had aggregate scores between six and eight. However, only 240 were admitted, leaving nearly 800 qualified students without a chance to study medicine.

During the 50th Anniversary of KNUST-SMS in Kumasi, Professor Antwi-Kusi mentioned another concern. After five decades, the school still lacks office space for lecturers at KATH.

He pointed out that their combined class size is 320 students. Unfortunately, classrooms can only accommodate 120 students at KATH. As a result, clinical students travel 15 kilometers between the university and KATH for lectures and exams.

This situation leads to wear and tear on transport and high costs. The impact on students' clinical work is also significant.

To address these issues, alumni are starting a legacy project. They plan to build a multi-purpose lecture theatre with a capacity of 400 at KATH. This project will cost an estimated GH¢50 million.

The new facility will include offices, seminar rooms, a student clinic, and a canteen. It aims to improve learning and research for future medical professionals in Ghana.

Professor Antwi-Kusi urged stakeholders to support this initiative financially. He also called on corporate organizations to invest in medical education as part of their social responsibility.

Additionally, he addressed challenges in delivering quality medical education. He urged the government to review medical education fees and provide special loans for students.

Underfunding remains one of the biggest challenges facing medical schools in Ghana. In contrast to Ghana's GH¢10,000 annual tuition fee, U.S. medical schools charge about $60,000 per year.

This disparity leaves Ghanaian medical schools underfunded and struggling with infrastructure and resources.

The anniversary theme is: “A Glance at the Past, A Glimpse into the Future.”