It is heart-warming that the government has announced efforts it is making in ensuring the safety of Ghanaians caught up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said in a press statement that the Government was evacuating Ghanaian students to neighboring countries, namely Moldova, Belarus, Slovakia and Hungary.
The Ministry, through its Mission in Berne, Switzerland and the Honourary Consulate in Ukraine, were in touch with the Ghanaian students in Ukraine through their leaders.
The Minister of Foreign Affair and Regional Integration, Shirley AyorkorBotchway, announced at a press conference in Accra yesterday that the government was having difficulties getting the details of all the students in particular and other Ghanaians in Ukraine.
She explained that the known students were those who had registered with Ghanaian associations,the student union and the Ghanaian mission there and that the other known Ghanaians were those who living legally in that country.
She then appealed Ghanaians who leave the country to live anywhere in the world for any reason to register with the Ghanaian mission or consulate and known Ghanaian associations there so that they could immediately be reached and accounted for when the need arose, particularly during crises, including conflicts.
Meanwhile as part of the process, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Diplomatic Missions in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Turkey, the Vatican, Holy See, and Ghana’s Honorary Consul in Ukraine, has appealed to these countries to offer safe passage to Ghanaians through their land borders.
So far, it is reported that 460 students out of 1000 had left Ukraine enroute to Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
It is rather unfortunate that evacuation of students cannot be done in three cities in Ukraine because two of them, Kharkov and Sumy, are hotspots on the way, with Dnipropetrovsk having been locked down.
It must be noted that some people would have to travel outside their countries for them to succeed in life, but a number of them are forced out against their will and this is the case of Ghanaian students in Ukraine.
Everyone who cares should find out and he or she would realize that all of these students are pursuing medicine in Ukraine.
The question then is “why?”
These are people who know they are cut for medical practice but are frustrated in their own country by being denied admission, usually for not making the mark required by Ghanaian medical schools.
Meanwhile, some of these ‘non-exceptional’ Ghanaian students previously offered admissions in Ukraine are back and practising equally competently as those trained in Ghana and the country needs more doctors.
That means those who meet the Ukrainian grade would leave and while nothing happens the government is free but in a situation like the current one, the government would have to go to their aid and at a cost.
Since those who train in Ukraine and Russia itself come out good doctors who eventually serve Ghana, it is obvious that there is the need to expand medical school facilities in the country to accommodate such people to become doctors.
After all, most of the people who make the world a better place are those with the above-average intelligence quotient, with some of them who even did not acquire so much education.
Let the government, therefore, help in addressing medical training challenges in the country to help forestall unpleasant situations like what the young Ghanaians have found themselves in all because their own country is killing their dreams.
After all, it is better for facilities to be expanded here for the students to pay for their training in the country rather than go to volatile areas like Ukraine and Russia
Also, the economy must be built such that Ghanaians would avoid travelling outside illegally to seek greener pastures.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian Times commends the efforts of the government in trying to evacuate Ghanaians in Ukraine to safety.
