Universities have traditionally been at the heart of the formation of national healthcare programs. In addition to training physicians and conducting research, they can function as centres of practice, training, and policy-making related to medicine and public health. Many universities in Africa were involved in forming institutions that could provide growing health services after their nations had become independent in the previous decades. Following this trend, Ghana took a similar step after its independence in 1957. The University of Ghana was one such institution. Among the medical professionals who contributed to these developments was Dr. Matthew A. Barnor, whose work extended beyond clinical medicine into university administration and public service.
The first set of students enrolled in the University of Ghana Medical School in 1964, a significant step in Ghana’s efforts to produce local physicians instead of depending mostly on overseas training. The establishment of the university resulted from prolonged advocacy by members of Ghana’s medical community, who felt the need to expand local medical training programs to meet healthcare requirements. In the following years, Ghana was able to build up its numbers of medical personnel. However, a shortage of physicians has continued to be a persistent problem.
Barnor belonged to the generation of physicians who witnessed this institutional transition firsthand. Having completed his own medical education at the University of Edinburgh before returning to the Gold Coast in 1949, he understood the challenges faced by Ghanaian students seeking professional medical training abroad. Throughout his career, he remained closely associated with the University of Ghana Medical School. He supported the wider movement to strengthen local medical education. His contribution was not limited to teaching or clinical practice. Instead, much of his work focused on helping build administrative structures capable of supporting the university’s growing healthcare responsibilities during a period of national expansion.
Among other positions, one of Barnor’s most notable was being the first Chairman of the Legon Hospital Management Committee. He held the post for about a decade during the tenure of Professor Alex Kwapong as the vice-chancellor. The management committee took charge of administering the services provided by the university hospital, whose services had been expanding to include both students and staff of the university and people in the vicinity of the institution. His appointment is a demonstration of trust reposed in qualified medical professionals to manage the health services in universities at a certain stage of their development.
He regarded his appointment as part of public service, not an honor or privilege. All his efforts were directed towards establishing an effective management system for the hospital, ensuring that health services were rendered in the university, and helping to secure its future. Thus, instead of receiving any publicity, he continued fulfilling his managerial obligations while also practicing medicine and contributing to the development of health services in the university. It demonstrated how experienced physicians contributed to institution-building beyond patient care.
Barnor’s association with the University of Ghana continued long after his period of hospital administration. He maintained close professional links with colleagues involved in the Medical School. He remained active in discussions concerning healthcare development and medical education. Other aspects of his career involved leadership in the Ghana Medical Association, membership on national health committees, being part of the formation of the Medical and Dental Council, and involvement with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana. His career was characterized by both practicing medicine and working towards developing medical institutions.
In March 2004, the University of Ghana recognized Barnor’s contribution and awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa). This degree recognized his lifelong contribution to the field of medicine, national development, and the advancement of higher education. It also pointed to his contribution to the formation of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana and to developing organized medicine in the nation. As a result, he became a member of a rather small group of people who were honored at the university in recognition of their achievements, which went beyond academia and into the sphere of public service.
His contribution to the University of Ghana represented his philosophy of building strong institutions that could serve future generations. Through his membership in the Legon Hospital Management Committee, his support for the development of medical education and his long association with the university, he took part in the development of certain systems which would work long after their creator’s retirement. In June 2005, Dr. Matthew A. Barnor passed away but left behind a professional record that included his activity in medicine, university administration, regulation of the field of medicine, and public health services.
