KNUST Hosts Fourth Ghana-Norway Summer School
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) through the College of Science (CoS) has hosted the fourth Ghana-Norway summer School in Medical Physics and Radiography Education under the theme: ‘Quality three-dimensional (3D) Imaging and Applications in Radiotherapy Treatment Delivery’.
The School was organised by the Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation (NORPART) through the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS), University of Ghana, Department of Physics, KNUST and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NNTU) with funding support from the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education.
The fourth Ghana-Norway Summer School saw over 60 participants from Ghana, Norway and other African countries.
Opening the Summer School, Professor Kwasi Preko, Chairperson for the occasion, said the quality and importance of accurate treatment planning, delivery and dose verification are very crucial since an error could lead to dire consequences.
Professor Preko therefore deemed the theme appropriate and timely and he hoped the partnership would help provide quality health care delivery and increase the momentum to place medical physics and other allied health services at the right positions to contribute to the socio-economic development of Ghana.
In her welcome address, Professor Mrs. Ibok oduro, Provost of the CoS, said the main goal of the NORPART project is to establish a partnership for education research between institutions in Ghana and Norway in the fields of medical physics, radiation protection and radiography.
The project she said would result in student mobility at the Masters and PhD levels as students and staff from Ghana train at NNTU. This, she noted, would build the capacities of human resources in the areas under discussion.
She said the partnership would consolidate the training of medical physicists in Ghana and Africa. In this light, the Allied Health Professions Council of Ghana would credit the Summer School with points.
The courses to be covered at the School include Principles of CT/MRI Imaging, Overview of Radiotherapy in Ghana (process, planning and equipment), Clinical Applications of CT/MRI in Imaging and Radiotherapy. Others are Emerging trends in 3D Imaging, Radiation Protection in Medical imaging and Radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and applications and patient safety and care. On quality, participants would be enlightened on quality control and quality assurance in radiotherapy, CT/MRI.
The Director General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Professor Benjamin Botchwey Nyarko, said the theme is appropriate in the application of ionizing radiation to the treatment of cancer. He continued that modern radiation treatment machines provide a lot of flexibility to tailor the arrangement of radiation beams that deliver to accomplish minimal damages to the surrounding healthy tissues.
According to Professor Nyarko, in order to have quality standard procedures, a dedicated team of professionals in the quality control and safety assessment of radiation emitting devices and equipment are needed. Therefore, the week-long training will create a learning platform for students of the School to broaden their knowledge.
He said feedback from Ghana and other African countries on the Ghana-Norway Summer School since its inception have been positive, He therefore thanked all partners of NORPART for their support in the training of African professionals in diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy and radiography services.
