Leadership in health and medical education: lessons from a symposium on health sector development in Ghana

Abstract

The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) has established an annual leadership symposium celebrating innovative leadership in the health sector. The 2022 symposium under the theme "Health Sector Development in Ghana; The Power of Good Leadership" was held in honour of Professor Samuel Ofosu-Amaah (the laureate), an Emeritus Professor of Public Health at the University of Ghana, about his leadership legacy. This article reflects on the leadership challenges in the health sector, the lessons learnt from the symposium, and the way forward. Leadership challenges identified in the health sector included the need for mentorship and coaching, the importance of teamwork and networking for delivering high-quality healthcare, and the role of leadership and governance in the health system. Key lessons from the symposium focused on skills in leading an event organisation, effective collaboration and teamwork, and learning from recognising prominent leaders' contributions to the health sector while these leaders are still alive. Key lessons from the personal and professional life of the laureate included a focus on giving back to the community, building mentorship of health leaders, being a catalyst of change, leadership and governance in public health institutions and publication of research findings. Suggestions were made to name the School of Public Health of the University of Ghana after Professor Ofosu-Amaah, to include a leadership and management module in all training modules at the GCPS and to establish a health leadership "Observatory" to focus on research on how leadership influences relevant health sector policy issues.

Funding: The World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Ghana funded the symposium.

Keywords: health sector development; health symposium; leadership; medical education; mentorship.