Vice-Chancellor hands over two Anatomage tables to the Department of Anatomy

The Vice-Chancellor has handed over two anatomage tables to the Department of Anatomy, University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS), College of Health Sciences.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Rev. Professor Patrick F. Ayeh-Kumi indicated that the Vice-Chancellor was at the Department to hand over two anatomage tables to help in the teaching and learning of medical students and other health professionals of the College of Health Sciences. He continued that it had taken a bit of time to have the equipment but as the saying goes, it was better late than never. He used the occasion to thank the Vice- Chancellor and University Senior Management for their thoughtfulness.

The Head of Department, Dr. John Ahenkorah was also full of gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor and the University Senior Management for providing the anatomage tables to the Department. He indicated the Department’s Dissecting Room was no longer able to accommodate the increasing number of students the Department has to teach every semester so the equipment had come at a very appropriate time to help in teaching and learning. He added that the use of the anatomage tables will reinforce what is taught in the Dissecting Room. According to Dr. Ahenkorah, even though some Medical Schools in the country have anatomage tables, their Department has the most current and advanced one. He concluded by assuring the Vice-Chancellor and the University that the Department would take very good care of the equipment and also use them for the purpose for which they have been provided.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu before handing over the equipment remarked that two years ago, he visited a foreign university. He toured some facilities of that university and that was where he felt that it would be useful if the University of Ghana Medical School got an anatomage table. He mentioned that it was a shame that some private medical schools in the country could get anatomage tables but the University of Ghana that has the premier medical school in the country did not have.

He urged the Department to take good care of the equipment and use them for the purpose for which they have been provided. He added that the plan was to get 10 of the anatomage tables but two had been procured now so efforts would be made to procure the remaining 8. He added that the two anatomage tables were procured at a cost of USD 1.3m.

Rev. Dr. Benjamin Arko-Boham prayed to dedicate the equipment before the Vice-Chancellor handed them over to the Head of Department.

An automage table is a technologically advanced anatomy visualization system for anatomy education and it is being adopted by many of the world’s leading medical schools and institutions. Anatomage combines stereoscopic images of the whole body with software in order to build 3-D reconstruction of the different human body parts (taken initially from two different cadavers: male and female) that allows for virtual dissection and reconstruction.

Present at the handing over ceremony were a former Vice-Chancellor, a former Provost of the College of Health Sciences and a former Head of the Department of Anatomy, Professor C. N. B. Tagoe, Dean of the University of Ghana Medical School, Professor Margaret Lartey, Co-ordinator of the Vice-Chancellor’s Strategic Teams, Professor Andrew Anthony Adjei, College Secretary, Mr. Michael Opare Atuah, faculty of the Department and some staff.