Hot!
Prof Afua Adwo Jectey Hesse …First Ghanaian trained female Paediatric Surgoen opens up on impactful career
Prof Afua Adwo Jectey Hesse, delivering an address
Working as a Paediatric Surgeon was God’s plan for my life because l was told by my parents that at the age of four, l had indicated l would become a paediatric surgeon. It is so surprising that l knew nothing about it so l inferred that it was God who had directed my thoughts.”
These are the words of a genius and no wonder Prof Afua Adwo Jeckey Hesse became the first in all her fields of endeavour.
She is the first Ghanaian trained female Paediatric Surgeon, the first female to head the Department of Surgery at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the first female to head the Paediatric Surgery Department at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
She is also the first female to work as the Director of Medical Affairs, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, and the first female to Act as the Chief Executive Officer at the hospital.
She is presently the President of Accra College of Medicine (ACM).
EDUCATION
Prof Afua Adwo Ajectey- Hesse who turns 70 this year was born in Kumasi to Prof Kwadwo Asare Jectey Nyarko and Mrs Agnes Jectey Nyarko of blessed memory.
Her father was a lecturer in Geography at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi while her mother taught at the Basic School in the same university.
When her father had the opportunity to study for his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in France, he took the family along because he wanted his children to get the necessary exposure to the outside world.
After the completion of the course, the family returned to Ghana. She enrolled at the Wesley Girls’ High School and sat for the Ordinary Level and later completed the Advanced Level certificate in 1969.
She entered the University of Ghana Medical School and graduated in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) in 1976. She did her house job at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
While working as a Demonstrator in Anatomy at the Anatomy Department, University of Ghana Medical School, she wrote the primary examination and later gained admission to do her Postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Surgeons in the United Kingdom.
She later read Management Studies at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and the School of Management in London.
WORK ABROAD
She got married to Prof Adukwei I.F. Hesse in 1978 and when her husband went to Birmingham in the United Kingdom to study for his postgraduate programme in Physiology, she joined him with their two sons.
While lecturing in Birmingham as a Senior House Officer, within three years, she had sat for the Fellowship Examination at the Royal College of Surgeons in Birmingham.
Prof Jectey Hesse worked as a Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Surgeon. She again worked as Clinical Fellow in Clinical Surgery and Paediatric Surgery in the Bristol Royal Hospital.
In 1998, she and the husband returned to Ghana with their four children and applied to the University of Ghana to lecture. Her husband was employed in the Department of Medicine ( Internal Medicine), and taught Physiology also, while she worked in the Paediatric Surgery Department at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Coincidentally, the Head of Paediatric Surgery Department who was her tutor, left unceremoniously and the mantle fell on her to head the department.
EXPERIENCE
She said it was an arduous task working continuously as a paediatric surgeon with no time to rest. Later, she had to recruit more doctors and nurses to assist her in the department and ensured that the staff were exposed to some of the best practices outside the country.
She said she had never wavered going through all the disciplines in medicine.
“In paediatric surgery, a child comes to the hospital with a problem and when you operate on the child or you correct the problem, the next day the child is ready to go and play football. In this situation, the anxious parents would like to find out whether the child should be allowed to play or not,” she said.
Prof Jectey Hesse explained that there was no regret working as a Paediatric Surgeon because she attached professionalism to her work and the relief given to parents and their sick children had provided her a lot of satisfaction. Additionally, working with her hands to see a little child get better was a wonderful activity which she took delight in.
Though on retirement, she is a part-time lecturer at the University of Ghana Medical School and still has so much to pass on to the younger generation as long as God gives her the strength to do what she loved doing best.
CHALLENGES
She explained that the Paediatric Surgery Department took care of newborn babies up to 13 years.
She said the challenges in the department included the clinical condition the patient was identified with, you could diagnose the condition and prescribe medication for the patient, but the parents could not purchase the medicine, and having completed a nice job, the post-operative management of the case could be problematic because the parents could not provide the needed items.
Prof Jectey Hesse intimated that there were occasions she had to use her money in support of needy children on admission in the hospital, and this situation had occasioned the establishment of a Special Fund in the department in support of needy children.
ACCRA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
When asked what motivated the family to establish the Accra College of Medicine, she said one of her sons had expressed concern that there were many students who had applied to the medical schools in Ghana with good grades but could not gain admission to the public medical schools because of the cut-off point, so he asked why couldn’t the family establish a school to cater for some of these students.
She said the family decided to manage the academic part of the university while other stakeholders provide the financial part. That was the vision to get stakeholders who would provide the needed funds for this laudable project, hence the coming into being of the Accra College of Medicine.
“By the grace of God, the school has graduated 28 medical doctors from three batches. The main thing is about their work ethics and high character,” she said.
GRATITUDE
According to her, some of her former students were grateful for the opportunity granted them to study medicine to become doctors. They said this would not have been possible without the establishment of ACM.
Prof Jectey Hesse is a Christian whose hobbies include, reading, cooking, baking, playing the piano at her leisure and she loves singing.
She loves Ghanaian foods and cooks perfectly well without the use of additives.
She urged Ghanaians to desist from telling lies and “do what they would like to do if nobody was watching them.”
By Raymond Kyekye
Hot!
ASWIM lauds Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang
The Association of Women in the Media, (ASWIM) has congratulated Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang on her historic achievement as Ghana’s first female Vice President.
The association said her trailblazing journey with sterling accomplishments from academia to politics, is undoubtedly, a vivid inspiration to countless women and girls across Ghana and Africa.
This was contained in a statement signed by its president, Mrs Mavis Kitcher, and copied to The Spectator on Tuesday in Accra.
“ASWIM celebrates your remarkable career, marked by numerous firsts, including the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, (UCC), and the first female to hold a professional chair in Ghana, (UCC),” the statement said.
It said the accomplishments of Prof Opoku- Agyemang were clear testament to the brilliance, resilience and resourceful nature of the complete beautiful African woman.
“As she takes on this new role, ASWIM proudly lauds her commitment to education, women’s empowerment, distinguished public service and patriotism and is very confident that her pursuit of excellence, love for humanity, humility, decency, modesty and commitment to the welfare of the vulnerable will characterise Ghana’s political leadership and public service,” the statement added.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Entertainment
Demolition of Fantasy Dome unfair — Mark Okraku-Mantey
Months after the Fantasy Dome was dismantled to make way for construction at the Ghana International Trade Fair site, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, has expressed concern over the manner the facility was destroyed.
In an interview on Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty, Mr Okraku-Mantey criticised the handling of the dome’s dismantling, suggesting that it could have been done without causing damage.
“I don’t think that leadership gave instructions that they should do what happened. The structure was a prefab but I hear the people destroyed it. That one, we cannot defend it. It is unfair to him (owner). Sometimes, you give instructions and people will go and do things that will make you look bad,” he stated.
When asked about any punitive measure against the workers responsible for the destruction, Mr Okraku-Mantey clarified that the Trade Fair does not fall under his ministry.
He said he had previously contacted the owner, Leslie Quaynor, to discuss relocating the dome, and even suggested the National Museum as a potential site, though it was too small.
The demolition of the 20,000-seater Fantasy Dome occurred on March 16, 2024.
According to Dr Agnes Adu, CEO of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, the action was taken after multiple notices were given to Quaynor to vacate the premises for redevelopment, as per their tenancy agreement.
Dr Adu noted that all previous tenants had complied except for the Fantasy Dome.
Quaynor, in an interview with JoyNews, confirmed that his lease had ended, and was in the process of relocating the dome.
He had requested an extension, which was denied, leading him to seek a writ and an injunction from an Accra High Court to halt the demolition.
Despite this, the demolition proceeded, causing significant damage to the structure.
Quaynor described the incident as a major setback, not only for his business but also for the entertainment industry, which relies on venues like the Fantasy Dome.