Dr Basil Roderick Sitsofe Baeta was born on the 16th of September 1948 in Keta, Ghana. His primary education was at Demonstration School, Legon and at PS 125 in Manhattan, New York. He then attended Ghana International School, Accra, from where he wrote the Common Entrance Examinations and was admitted to Achimota Secondary School in 1960.  He was at Achimota School from 1960 until 1967. Basil attended McGill University in Montreal, Canada and he graduated with a BSc (1970), MDCM (1974), LMCC (1975).

He did his Internship in Medicine and Surgery and then attended the General Surgery Program at Montreal General Hospital and allied Hospitals of McGill University (1974 until 1979). He obtained his Fellowship in General Surgery, Canada (FRCSC 1980), Diplomate American Board of Surgery (DABS 1980), Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons ( FACS 1984 ) and License to Practice Medicine in Ontario in 1979. Basil was a Clinical Fellow in General Surgery at McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton from 1980 to 1981 He was invited to be an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at McMaster University from the early nineties until his retirement in 2018.  Basil was a Consultant General Surgeon at The Ross Memorial Hospital, Lindsay, Ontario from August 1981 until he retired in December 2018. He served an unprecedented 12 years as Chief of Surgery (1991 to 2003) at that Hospital.

He introduced Surgical Grand Rounds, with many guest speakers to the Hospital. He encouraged and participated in extensive continued surgical education. He Published “Adenocarcinoma of the Appendix “ in the Canadian Journal of Surgery, Vol. 25 # 5, September 1982, Basil was a member of numerous Professional Colleges and Associations including the Royal College of Surgeons, Canada, The Canadian and Ontario Association of General Surgeons and their Medical Associations. He was a Foundation member of the Ghana College of Surgeons and Physicians and a past medical advisor to the Kawartha Ostomy Society. Basil introduced GI auto staplers, Laparoscopic General Surgery, Vac wound therapy, Colonoscopy, and other innovations in Surgical practice to his hospital and community. Basil together with nine other physicians built, owned and managed the Lindsay Medical Centre, a 22,000 sq foot medical building with doctors’ offices, Pharmacy, Laboratory , Physiotherapy and other services , and was Vice President to the Board.

Reference: Baeta family