DR SAGOE HONOURED FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE (PAGE 23, JAN 19, 2011)

SINCE assuming the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Dr Ken Sagoe, has proven he has the capacity to transform the hospital.
He took over at a time when the hospital, then a regional hospital, was losing ground and required urgent attention to revive it. However, his managerial and professional dexterity was simply what the hospital needed to take it to the next level.
Together with other professionals, institutions and government support, Dr Sagoe has facilitated the transformation of the hospital into a full-fledged tertiary facility to serve as a training ground for medical students from the University for Development Studies (UDS).
He has also obtained provisional accreditation for the hospital to receive and train residents from the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The hospital has also been able to attract more health professionals into the facility since he assumed office.
For instance, the number of doctors at post in the hospital has increased from 24 as of 2008 to 107 by the end of 2010. This figure includes 20 specialists.
In addition, the hospital has expanded its scope of operations in line with its mandate as a teaching hospital. It now offers clinical services in areas such as endoscopy, dialysis, neurology and orthopaedics. It also has a fully functional neo-natal and general Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
It is therefore, of no wonder that the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has found it prudent to honour Dr Sagoe with its highest award, Fellow of the GMA in recognition of his contribution to the association and the health sector, both locally and internationally.
The award was presented to him during the GMA’s annual general meeting in Koforidua some weeks ago. The citation accompanying the award acknowledged his significant contributions to the medical profession including his active participation in the development and implementation of policies relating to human resource development for the health sector.
By this award, Dr Sagoe joins the elite class of doctors who have been honoured with this award since the country’s independence.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, a humbled, but elated, Dr Sagoe described his award as a recognition of his service to mankind.
He said by virtue of his training and penchant to serve mankind, he had been able to make a difference in the lives of many people.
“My focus has been to serve the general good of people. So I have tried to offer my services anywhere it is needed, without considering reward or monetary gains,” he stated.
Dr Sagoe said he was particularly delighted to have received the award at this time of his life, because some of the earlier recipients of the award got it in their eighties, whiles others were awarded posthumously.
“I hope that other upcoming medical officers would be motivated to give their best and to receive such recognition,” he added.
Dr Sagoe, whose career spans clinical, public health, managerial and teaching received his undergraduate and postgraduate training in Medicine at the University of Ghana Medical School and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine at the University of Liverpool.
Prior to his assumption of duty as the CEO of the TTH, he was the director of human resource at the Ghana Health Service. He has also worked, previously, with other institutions, including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Koforidua Regional Hospital and two other hospitals in Nigeria.
Dr Sagoe has many publications to his credit and has served on several national and international committees, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Committee on Global Recommendations and Guidelines on Task-Shifting for HIV/AIDS and Global Health Workforce Alliance’s (GHWA) Task Force on Private Sector Involvement in Human Resources for Health.