Grade B students should read medicine – Health minister

Health Minister Alex Segbefia has bemoaned the current system in the country that denies many qualified students admission into medical schools.

Each year, many prospective medical students are turned down due to the lack of facilities and the competitive cut-off points universities have put in place.

The current cut off point for the University of Ghana Medical School for example, is aggregate 7.

This means a student would require at least 5 grade As and a grade B, out of six subjects taken, before being considered for admission.

Speaking at the launch of Ghana’s first Medicine-only Private School, Accra College of Medicine, the Health Minister insisted that the current state of affairs is counterproductive since government is struggling to fill the new and expanded medical infrastructure with doctors.

“Where are the staff? Who are the people going to work in these institutions?” he asked.

Mr. Segbefia stated that students who score grade B’s in the WASSCE exam are very good and capable of going to medical school.

According to him, “Anybody with Bs, nine Bs, should be able to read medicine, that’s my view.”