The University of Cape Coast Junior Old Students Association (UNIJOSA 94) and  the 1984 group of the University Kindergarten have donated assorted items valued about three thousand, five hundred Ghana Cedis (3,500) to the University Kindergarten to boost learning at the school.

The items included a set of drums, a 32 inch LED television and Christmas package.

Presenting the items to the headteacher of the University Kindergarten, the President of the Association, Mr. Baffour Manteaw said the donation was their widow’s mite to support the school. He gave the assurance that they would make sure that every class get a television set.  

Receiving the items, the Headteacher of the school, Ms. Adwoa Ewur expressed gratitude to the Association for the timely intervention. She noted that the items would go a long way to help the school.

The Chairman of the Basic Schools Management Committee, Rev. Prof. Seth Asare-Danso also expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the donation and indicated that the donation would be used profitably. He urged other year groups to emulate the gesture.

Other executives of the Association who accompanied the President were Mr. Thomas Acheampong, Mr. Nelly Nuamah Hagan and Ms. Esther Eshun.

Present at the short ceremony were some teachers and pupils of the school.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole ended his nationwide tour to institutions affiliated to the University of Cape Coast (UCC) at SS Peter and Paul Pastoral and Social Institute, Wa in the Upper West Region. Addressing management of the Institute at Wa, Prof. Kuupole thanked them for the confidence and trust they have in UCC. He noted that considering their distance, they could have chosen to affiliate with institutions closer to them adding that “You came all the way from the North to the Coast and by passed other public universities for mentorship from the UCC.” The Vice-Chancellor said the Institute boast of top-notch human resource and commended them for maintaining quality academic work.  He therefore urged management of the institute to rebrand to attract more students since they were now running other programmes and opened to the general public.  He noted that it was the responsibility of UCC to mentor its affiliates to maintain academic excellence and also produce high calibre graduates in their respective field of specialisation. On his part, the Director of the Institute, Rev. Dr. Edward B. Tengan expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for leading a team to visit them. He described the visit of the Vice-Chancellor as a strong indication of a solid relationship between the Institute and UCC. He also thanked the University for always providing them with guidelines as far as academic and administrative work was concerned. Prof. Kuupole and Rev. Dr. Tengan later signed a Memorandum of Understanding to seal the relationship between the two institutions. The Vice-Chancellor’s team comprised the Ag. Director of the Directorate of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff T. Onyame; Assistant Auditor, Ms. Joyce Sam; Junior Assistant Auditor, Institutional Affiliation Office (IAO), Mr. Justice Agyenim Boateng and Principal Research Assistant, IAO, Mr. Peter Fosu Thompson.      

The Head, Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences of the College of Health and Allied Sciences (CoHAS), University of Cape Coast, Dr. Kafui P. Akakpo has stated that the quest to find the truth has always underpinned autopsy practice.

“The quest to find the truth has always driven autopsy practice and will continue to be the reason for autopsy”.

Speaking at a Public Lecture at the University, under the topic “Autopsy Practice in Ghana, the Past, Present and Future” the pathologists indicated that the introduction of autopsy practice into medicine has opened the door for understanding of disease process. “Hitherto, physicians spent years taking notes by externally examining patients without understanding the changes that occurred in the body organs as a result of the effect of diseases in these various organs”.

According to Dr. Akakpo, autopsy has also been an integral part of law and has been of immense value in the investigation of both natural and unnatural deaths. For this reason, a lot of autopsies, which include both clinical or academic and medico-legal autopsies, are done each year in this country. In the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for example, 250 autopsies are carried out each year with 87% of that been medico-legal as well as 52% of these deaths being young adults, he stated.

Dr. Akakpo’s lecture explored the history of autopsy practice the world-over, looked at relationship between autopsy practice and religion, the laws that govern autopsy practice in Ghana and the key players involved in the entreprise. He said it was important to use people who have died to study diseases to serve as basis for predicting what will happen in the future by way of diseases and deaths.

The lecturer therefore urged the general public to report all unnatural deaths to the police for investigations to be carried out “since autopsy answers the final question why did life pass from a specific human being. It is to establish the cause and manner of death of an identified deceased which goes to benefit the relations, physician and society”.

The Consultant Pathologist, recommended that in order to improve the practice of autopsy, measures must be taken to establish a dedicated forensic service, fashioning out of practice guide and a review of the existing law guiding the practice since it has become “too old”.