A graduating female medical student of the School of Medical Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) last Saturday set a record by sweeping 13 of the 15 awards on offer.
Some of the awards received by Dr Karim are the Gabriel Boakye prize for the best student in anaesthesia for the MBChB examination, Addo Kufuor prize for the best student in internal medicine, Mrs Beatrice Biamah Wireko Brobbey prize for the best student in Otorhinolaryngology, Edwin K Wiredu prize for the best student in systemic pathology, J. G. A. Wood prize for the best all round student at the final part II MBChB examination, GMA prize for the best overall student in the MBChB final part II examination and Dean’s prize for the best student in the MBChB programme.
Two other female graduates, Dr Louisa Kwakye Ansong and Dr Abena Mantebea Asante-Mante, won the best awards (best dentist and community dentistry respectively), out of 19 at the dental category.
Dr Karim’s achievement was the hallmark of the induction of 176 new medical doctors at the 23rd and fifth oath swearing and induction ceremonies of the School of Medical Sciences and Dental School, respectively, in Kumasi last Saturday.
Seven years ago, Dr Karim, then a graduate of Wesley Girls Senior High School, emerged as the second best student in the West African Senior Schools Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) in Ghana.
Scholarship
The Dean of the school, Prof. Yaw Adu Sarkodie, announced that the Dean’s Scholarship Fund had been established to cater for brilliant, needy students.
Thirty-five students, he said, were expected to benefit from the fund this year to the tune of GH¢50,000.
Director General
The Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, urged the School of Medical Sciences to extend the school to other sites in Mampong, Agogo, Sunyani, Berekum and Techiman as outpost training sites.
He said doing so would be in line with the Decentralised Family Physician Specialist Training and tele-medicine concept.
Dr Appiah-Denkyira urged the authorities to explore the engagement of specialists in the diaspora as part of the faculty and especially for postgraduate training.