In 2012, the association organized a continuing professional development course for its members and plans to institutionalize this activity. Also in 2012, the Ghana government passed the national public health law which requires all allied health professionals, including find more dietitians to register with a newly formed Allied Health Task Force.

To become registered, dietitians require endorsement from the GDA, failing which they risk recognition by the Task Force. Also, there is ongoing certification examinations for practitioners which will lead to certification for dietitians. Future perspectives The survey of dietitians in Ghana revealed that most dietitians anticipate the major dietetic-related challenges will include obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The practice of dietetics will continue to be focused on diet therapy. In addition, interventions in public health, and dietetic research were identified as key areas of interest. In view of these expectations,

it is anticipated that dietetic specializations in obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are urgently needed. Discussion The main finding of the current study is that dietetics practice in Ghana is in a continuous state of evolution towards excellence. Looking back from the early sixties, Selleckchem IWR-1 dietetics practice in Ghana has emerged from an era where services were mainly provided by catering officers with limited dietetic competency, to the current situation where the number of trained and qualified dietitians has increased to the point where, potentially, every public hospital can potentially fill the existing vacant dietitian positions. The increasing numbers of Universities offering dietetics programs demonstrate the increasing demand for dietetics training not only for Ghanaians but also for applicants from elsewhere

in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. In a broader context, these findings help to fill the gap in knowledge concerning dietetic practice in Ghana. It can also serve as a model for describing the state of the profession in other African countries. This will be important because currently, little is known about the dietetics practice situation in the Africa Region. In 2001, Calabro and colleagues’ international survey of dietetics practice received responses from only nine African Countries.17 these Despite the positive developments observed in Ghana, there still remains a situation where many dietitian positions in the public sector remain unfilled. This is partly because the Government of Ghana has not provided the necessary financial commitments to hire the trained dietitians. Even more critical is the inequitable distribution of dietitians across administrative regions in Ghana. Essentially, more than 90% of dietitians practice in Accra, limiting dietetics service delivery to those living in or close to Accra.