Joseph Kenneth Bandoh, (1931–2014) was a Ghanaian physician. He was the director of medical services at the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, and a former president of the West African College of Physicians. He was a fellow of the West African College of Physicians, and the Royal College of Physicians.

Early life and education

Bandoh was born on 24 October 1931 to Chief Kwaku Bandoh of Amponya, then a farmer, and Akosua Anane Bandoh at

Bekwai Bekwai is a town and the capital of the Bekwai Municipal, a municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in southern part of Ghana and it is the third largest of 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of or 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, however, it is the mo ...

of Ghana. He was the eldest son and the second child of his parents. His early formative years began at the St John’s Catholic School in Bekwai in September 1937. In 1947, he entered St. Augustine’s College, Cape Coast, where he was moved to the secondary school section by the principal after two years of his studies in the school. He passed his Cambridge School Leaving Examination with exemption from the London Matriculation Examination in 1950. He later gained admission to study at the University College of the Gold Coast ( University of Ghana) on scholarship in 1951. There, he studied biology and botany and consequently obtained his Bachelor of Science degree. He was awarded another scholarship to study Medicine at the King’s College Medical School in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He graduated on 12 May 1960 with the conjoint diploma and MB BS, and consequently became a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

, and a licensiate of the Royal College of Physicians.

Career

Bandoh began at the Westminster Hospital's casualty department as a house surgeon from 1960 to 5 July 1961. He subsequently joined the Prince of Wales' General Hospital and later,

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, London as a junior house physician and a resident

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(senior house officer) respectively. Bandoh returned to Ghana in 1963 working as a physician consultant. He was first posted to the Komfo Anokye Hospital,

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

but was later transferred to the

Korle-Bu Hospital Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is a public teaching hospital located in the Ablekuma South Metropolitan District in Accra, Ghana. It is the only public tertiary hospital in the southern part of the country. It is a teaching hospital affiliated ...

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

. He was posted once more, this time, to the

Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital is a public Hospital located in Akuapim-Mampong in the Eastern Region of Ghana. History and Etymology The hospital was established in 19?? and named to honour Tetteh Quarshie. Site and Facilities The road entra ...

in Mampong, where he worked as a physician specialist. While working at the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Bandoh joined the

Ghana Armed Forces The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is the unified armed force of Ghana, consisting of the Army (GA), Navy (GN), and Ghana Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces is the president of Ghana, who is also the supreme military commander ...

and was appointed physician at the

Military Hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

in January 1967 after pursuing a three-month course at the Military Academy. In 1970, he became the

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the Military Hospital and served in that capacity until November 1972. After a brief hiatus from service, he was appointed director of the Armed Forces Medical Services and given the rank of a colonel. In 1977, he became the first doctor to be elevated to the status of a

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(one star general), a title he held until 1979 when he retired from the Ghana Army. Following his retirement from the Armed Forces, Bandoh ventured private medical practice in Accra by establishing the Bandoh Medical Centre. He was a personal physician to former heads of state ( Edward Akufo-Addo and General

I. K. Acheampong Ignatius Kutu Acheampong ( ; (23 September 1931 – 16 June 1979) was the military head of state of Ghana from 13 January 1972 to 5 July 1978, when he was deposed in a palace coup. He was executed by firing squad on 16 June 1979. Early life and ...

) and Ghanaian royalty ( Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, Nana Afua Kobi Serwah Ampem). He was a member of the Ghana Medical Association which he joined as a founding member, chairman of the Komfo Anokye Hospital rehabilitation committee, a committee whose activities led to the elevation of the Komfo Anokye Hospital to a teaching hospital for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Medical School. He served as a council member of the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana from 1979 to 1984, and chairman (first chairman) of the court of examiners from 1995 to 2005. He was elected fellow of the West African College of Physicians, and became the first Ghanaian to serve as its president from 1993 to 1994. He was made a member of the association's board of trustees until his death in December 2014. He was elected fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1975.

Personal life

Bandoh married Evelyn Jocelyn van der Puije, a doctor he had met while working at the

Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is a public teaching hospital located in the Ablekuma South Metropolitan District in Accra, Ghana. It is the only public tertiary hospital in the southern part of the country. It is a teaching hospital affiliate ...

. Together, they had six children; three sons and three daughters. He was a member of the Catholic Church, and a member of the

Knights of Marshall The Knights of Marshall are a West African and London Roman Catholic male and female fraternal society, founded . Named after Sir James Marshall, the Knights of Marshal has been a member of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK) si ...

society. He died on 13 December 2014. His burial service was held on 21 February 2015 at the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church,

Bekwai Bekwai is a town and the capital of the Bekwai Municipal, a municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandoh, Joseph Kenneth 1931 births 2014 deaths Ghanaian military medical officers St. Augustine's College (Cape Coast) alumni Alumni of King's College London Alumni of the University of London