UHAS WHITE COAT CEREMONY ‘23
One of the most anticipated and highly cherished events in the healthcare professional training of medics and pharmacists is the White Coat Ceremony. This symbolic event of the transition from preclinical to clinical years is an exquisiteness to behold.
This year’s edition in UHAS was another joint of the Schools Of Medicine and Pharmacy, the second joint white coat ceremony between the two schools.
On March 1, 2023, 71 medical students and 39 pharmacy students were welcomed into their clinical years at the Cedi Auditorium.
“This ceremony has become one that every student of pharmacy and medicine looks forward to with a deep sense of pride and fulfilment,” Prof. Theophilus C. Fleischer, Acting Dean of the School of Pharmacy, said in his welcome speech. He congratulated students and faculty for a job well done and encouraged them to dedicate themselves to their studies and training in order to gain the knowledge, abilities, and attitude needed to become competent health professionals.
The University’s vice chancellor and ceremony chair, Prof. Lydia Aziato, noted that UHAS students are frequently exposed to clinical work through the institution’s premier vocational training program. She mentioned that wearing a white coat has special significance in Africa because “white is a symbol of purity, joy, and victory.” These students have won in that sense ever since they began the program alongside those who did not advance this far.
The white coat also symbolizes professionalism and compassion in their respective fields. She pleaded with the students to uphold ethical standards appropriate for medical professionals.
Speaking on the subject of “Ethical Responsibilities of Physicians and Pharmacists,” Dr. Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, a former director of technical coordination at the Ministry of Health, was the guest speaker. She praised management for creating the teams and claimed that the joint ceremony for pharmacy and medical students is exclusive to UHAS.
She spoke to the theme, telling the students that they must adhere to several codes of ethics to succeed in their professions. She went over some fundamental moral tenets that unite them as a group of professionals, like serving humanity being the primary goal of their line of work, according the same respect and honour to those ahead, cultivating the spirit of cooperation and not competition with other health professionals, keeping medical records of patients confidential and upholding ethical medical standards.
The guest speaker also urged the students to avoid lawsuits by doing their due diligence and to keep up with digitization through the use of electronic health systems in most hospitals.
The class presidents of the respective groups did not fail to spice up the ceremony with the timely and well-put puns of their pre-clinical experience in their speeches. Presentations were made by the groups to faculty and departments for their contributions to their progress thus far.
Dr. Divine Ndonbi Banyubala, Registrar of Ghana Medical and Dental Council, and Pharmacist Essilfie-Essel, Volta Regional Manager of the Pharmacy Council, administered the oath to students of medicine and pharmacy respectively.
We at FGMSA wish you, MBChB ’25 and Rx ’24, Godspeed in your clinical years of training.
BY: Worlako Biese-Macarthy
University of Health and Allied Health Sciences
MBChB ‘27