This skills course, which is the first of its kind in Ghana tailored for junior doctors from house officers to first year residents, offered intensive teaching and simulation of essential skills for ENT surgeons. It was taught by local consultants and senior residents and supported by the Otorhinolaryngology Society of Ghana. The course offered the doctors a chance to learn, practise their skills in a relaxed environment and gain mentorship and guidance in pursuing a career in ENT.
There are less than 50 ENT surgeons in Ghana and most of them are concentrated in the big urban cities with patients needing to be transported on long journeys to access specialist care. This course was successful in promoting ENT as a specialty to early career doctors and allowing them to explore the scope of practice and gain skills that will help them provide safe and quality care for patients especially in the rural hospitals where ENT services are not readily available.
The course was made possible with an ENT UK Foundation international collaboration grant which covered the cost of organising the course. The Accra Medical Centre, a private hospital in Accra provided the venue for the course at no cost. This allowed 40 doctors from across the country to be able to attend the course for free. There was excellent feedback from the course and all participants recommended that this should be a regularly organised course.
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| Delegates practising how to manage a pinna haematoma | Delegates and faculty from the course |