Communication Minister presents 200 laptops to UHAS under One Million Coders Programme
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has presented 200 laptops to the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) under the Government’s flagship One Million Coders Programme (OMCP) to support digital skills development among students.
Presenting the laptops during a visit to the university on Friday, the Minister indicated the growing role of technology in healthcare delivery and urged students to complement their clinical training with digital skills.
He noted that advancements in artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine and robotics were transforming the medical profession, making it necessary for healthcare professionals to acquire technology-related competencies.
“The medical field is changing very fast. Telemedicine is a big part of the world today, where you have doctors sitting in John Hopkins and carrying out surgery 7,000 miles across the ocean using robotic arms,” he said.
Mr George commended UHAS for its plans to integrate some of the programme’s learning pathways into student development activities and encouraged the university to ensure students acquire relevant digital skills before graduation.
Describing the 200 Lenovo laptops as an initial allocation, he said additional devices could be considered based on enrolment, utilisation and demonstrated demand.
He further assured the university that the Ministry would engage the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) and telecommunications operators to explore options for improving connectivity on campus through additional cell sites and fibre-optic infrastructure.
Welcoming the Minister and his delegation, the Vice-Chancellor of UHAS, Prof. Lydia Aziato, expressed appreciation for the support and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to Ghana’s digital transformation agenda.
She disclosed that suitable spaces had already been identified across the university’s various schools to accommodate the equipment and facilitate student participation in the programme.
Prof. Aziato noted that selected OMCP learning pathways would complement professional health sciences training and help students develop competencies in digital literacy, data analytics and emerging technologies.
Margaret Adjeley Sowah, ISD
