President Akufo-Addo has charged the management of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) to manage the facility properly.
He does not want the edifice to slide into the path of other health facilities, with no proper maintenance culture, hanging debt burden, and mismanagement.
This was when he commissioned the second phase of the UGMC project which included the addition of a clinical services facility, medical training, and simulation facility, and a medical and scientific research centre to existing facilities at the Centre for €14.5million today.
He, therefore, asked the authorities to as a matter of priority, ensure that they manage the facility under a prudent business model that will keep it running as one of the best health centres in the country.
“I hope that this hospital will be managed under a prudent business model to ensure that it remains the best for many years to come”, he said.
The guarantee of good health care in Ghana, according to the President, occupies an important position in the priority lists of his administration.
He, therefore, noted that his government will continue with its vigorous plan of ensuring that it leaves a legacy of a strong, buoyant, and ecological health system for Ghanaians.
“The Akufo-Addo government will continue to sustain its agenda of building a robust, resilient, and sustainable health care system for current and future generations” the President indicated.
On his part, the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said the completion of phase two of the UGMC reflects the government’s resolve to provide functional health facilities for the citizenry.
“The citizenry and the management of this facility have a sacred duty to ensure that these facilities are used and maintained properly,” Agyemang Manu said.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UGMC, Dr. Darius Osei indicated that the second phase of UGMC has three main focal areas namely a 1,000-bed Clinical Services section, the biggest Medical Training, and Simulation Centre in West Africa, and a Medical and Scientific Research Centre that will serve as a central hub for local and international research.
The Centre currently has a staff strength of 1,031.
They are made up of seven Consultants, 45 Specialists/Senior Specialists, 98 Medical Officers, 496 Nurses/Midwives, 188 Other Clinical Personnel, 178 Support Staff, and 19 Management staff.
The Clinical Services Section (CSS) houses the biggest Intensive Care Unit in Ghana (a 16-bed Intensive Care Unit) as well as the second biggest Cardiothoracic Centre in the country.
The CSS will have consultants, specialists, and sub-specialists with expertise in areas such as Sleep Medicine, Sex Dysfunction, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Urology, Endoscopy, Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, ENT, Dental and Ophthalmology for the benefit of the public.
The Imaging Department of the Centre will also offer a 24-hour service and has a Cath Lab, a fluoroscopy machine, an MRI, a CT scan, and a mammography machine among others to enable the public to access these medical imaging services without delays.
The second of the three parts of the UGMC phase two, the Medical Training and Simulation Centre (MTSC), is well equipped to offer health and non-health workers training involving patient simulation, simulated clinical environments, and simulated virtual procedure stations, and simulated standardized patients.
Some of the training programmes that will be organized by the MTSC will include Basic Life Support (CPR) which could help save lives by equipping the public with the basic skills needed to quickly resuscitate individuals whose hearts stop suddenly or go into cardiac arrest before health professionals arrive at the scene.
The last section, the Medical and Scientific Research Centre (MSRC), will focus on epidemiology/clinical trials, cardiovascular genetics, maternal foetal medicine, regenerative medicine, transplant medicine, infectious diseases, and big data science.
The University of Ghana Medical Centre Ltd (UGMC) is an ultra-modern medical centre offering world-class quaternary level Health services, Training, and Research in Ghana, West Africa, and beyond.
It is magnificently nestled on the southernmost tip of the University of Ghana, the Country’s premier university located in Legon, Accra, and about ten minutes away from the Kotoka International Airport.
The Centre seeks to embody the spirit of hospitality that Ghana is globally acclaimed for and is focused on delivering an excellent and unparalleled client experience through the deployment of a customer-obsessed approach throughout every facet of its operations.
According to the hospital’s web page, www.ugmedicalcentre.org, the organization aims to be distinguished for world-class Health Care, Training, and Research while at the time, staying committed to providing premium Health Care (quaternary level), Training of health professionals, and Research by highly skilled and motivated staff in a friendly environment.
The construction of the UGMC commenced in 2013 as a turn-key project and Phase I of the project was commissioned in January 2017. The Centre commenced partial operations in 2018. Phase II of the Project began in 2019 and was completed in December 2021.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent