Health Ministry Proposes New Entry System For Physician Assistants

Story by Fada Amakye

The Ministry of Health says it is working to strengthen ethics and accountability in Ghana’s health sector, and plans to change how Physician Assistants are trained.

Dr. Hafez Adam Taher, Director of Technical Coordination and Health Planning at the Ministry of Health, said this at a recent event. He stated that isolated cases of misconduct by some health workers are “a betrayal of the Hippocratic oath” and damage public trust.

“The Minister of Health is therefore steadfast in strengthening the framework of accountability and ethics in our health sector,” Dr. Taher said. He added that the Ministry will work with the Medical and Dental Council and other bodies to update rules and enforce professional standards.

Dr. Taher outlined key government priorities including strengthening quality of care, the Free Primary Healthcare policy, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund also known as “MahamaCares”, emergency preparedness, and sustainable health financing under the Accra Initiative.

On Physician Assistants, Dr. Taher announced major reforms.
The Ministry, together with the Medical and Dental Council, is proposing to change PA training from “direct entry at the post-secondary level to a post-basic model.

Under the new system, applicants will need prior professional training and experience in areas like nursing or health promotion before joining PA school. The goal is to bring in people with more clinical exposure and maturity.

He also said the Ministry is designing a “special bridge program”. This will allow qualified, high-performing Physician Assistants with the right academic credentials to further train as doctors and dentists.

“The measure aims not only to reward professional dedication but also to create structured and merit-based progression pathway,” he explained.

The Medical and Dental Council is also inspecting and accrediting training schools for graduate entry programs in medicine and dentistry. This will give degree holders, including PAs, more opportunity to enter the medical and dental professions.

Dr. Taher assured stakeholders that government remains committed to ensuring all Ghanaians have access to quality health services.