Wednesday, January 11, 2023.
Leaked questions. Dr. Ahuofe declines to write examination. Confides in Dr. Kwaku Nkrabea
Nkitinkiti Government Hospital
Main OPD. Consulting Room 1
Door opens
Dr. Ahuofe: Good morning, Dr. Nkrabea.
Kwaku Nkrabea: Hey. Good morning, Dr. Ahuofe. What are you doing here? You should be on leave. Are you not supposed to resume next week? How did the examination go?
Dr. Ahuofe: Long story. That is why I came here. I would like to see you and discuss some personal issues. Please when can I come to see you?
Kwaku Nkrabea: I hope that you and all your family members are fine? You can come to my house at 5pm.
Dr. Ahuofe: My family is fine. I cannot say the same for myself. I will see you at 5pm.
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5pm, Dr. Kwaku Nkrabea’s residence:
Kwaku Nkrabea: Welcome. What will you drink?
Dr. Ahuofe: Nothing. I am okay.
Where do I start?
Kwaku Nkrabea: Are you in trouble?
Dr. Ahuofe: Hmmm. Not really. I didn’t write the African College of Skillful Surgeons (ACOSS) Level 2 exam.
Kwaku Nkrabea: Why not? You would have passed.
Dr. Ahuofe: The questions leaked. I didn’t think it was right to take the examination when I knew the questions some 3 days to the examination.
Kwaku Nkrabea: Why didn’t you report it?
Dr. Ahuofe: Who do you report this to when the same person you think about reporting to is the one who leaked the questions?
Kwaku Nkrabea: Ah. Explain this.
Dr. Ahuofe: There were 15 of us preparing to write the exam. Prof. Suronipa came in unannounced one afternoon with only 8 of us there and gave some questions he said would be in the exam.
Kwaku Nkrabea: He actually said the questions would come in the exam?
Dr. Ahuofe: Yes. You know he is the current President of ACOSS. He has a lot of power and influence.
Kwaku Nkrabea: Did the questions come as he said?
Dr. Ahuofe: Yes, they did. I saw the question papers when those who wrote the exam came back. His favourites were jubilating and praising him. I understand he gave out the questions to his favourites who wrote the Level 1 exam too. I saw some of them jubilating.
Kwaku Nkrabea: What do you mean by his favourites? Not everyone got the questions?
Dr. Ahuofe: No. In fact I was not supposed to be part. He mistook me for someone else. When he realised I was there, he ended the session and met his special group in the night. After the exam, I saw some of those who didn’t see the leaked questions. They were complaining about how difficult the questions were.
Actually the ACOSS exam can be difficult. If you don’t get someone to ‘hold your hands’ you will struggle to pass.
Kwaku Nkrabea: So who are Prof. Suronipa’s favourites?
Dr. Ahuofe: Those who run errands for him, those who do locum for him in his private hospital…
Kwaku Nkrabea: So how long has this been going on?
Dr. Ahuofe: I understand the Presidency of ACOSS rotates. So when it gets to your country and institution, you have the advantage. Before Prof. Suronipa became President, the pass Rate in our country for both the Level 1 and Level 2 exams was 5%. Last year, the pass rate in the country was 80%. I understand the pass rate in the country with the former president dropped from 75% to 9% when the Presidency moved from his country to this country.
Kwaku Nkrabea: What a system! Can’t there be a more objective way to assess candidates?
Dr. Ahuofe: I hear some people have advocated for Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) but some of the big men have kicked against it. It will take the power from them. They want to have the power to fail anybody they think should not pass. So many young doctors do whatever the big men want to get these advantages.
Kwaku Nkrabea: So what is your plan? You should progress in your field. You are doing well.
Dr. Ahuofe: I have two things in mind now: To write the Pan-African College of Surgeons (PANACOS) exam or to write one of the foreign exams and leave the country.
Kwaku Nkrabea: It will be sad if the country loses a good medical doctor like you.
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To be continued.
Note:
The characters in this piece are fictitious; any resemblance to real people or facts within your Corporate Institution is pure coincidence only.
