The Governing Board members and Executives of GJA Volta Chapter
The Governing Board of the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) has appealed to the media and other stakeholders to support efforts to secure the long-awaited expansion of the facility, describing the project as critical to improving specialist healthcare delivery in the Volta and Oti regions.
Board Chairman, Dr. Delanyo Yao Tsidi Dorvlo, said the expansion had become urgent due to increasing demand for specialist healthcare services. He therefore called on the government to expedite processes to operationalise the Korea Exim Bank loan facility to enable work on the proposed 500-bed expansion project to begin.
Dr. Dorvlo made the appeal when the Governing Board and Management of HTH engaged executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Volta Region, and selected media houses in Ho to strengthen stakeholder collaboration and rally support for the project.
He said the hospital had recorded significant progress over the past year through investments in specialist services, modern medical equipment, infrastructure, digital health systems and human resource development. He noted that the hospital’s laboratory had attained a four-star SafeCare rating and successfully completed the ISO 15189 pre-assessment.
According to him, the hospital had also strengthened infection prevention and control, patient safety and digital healthcare systems, while working towards achieving Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation by the end of 2027. He also cited the establishment of a Music Therapy Studio, described as the first of its kind in West Africa, as another major milestone.
Dr. Dorvlo said the hospital started as a 180-bed regional facility before being upgraded to a teaching hospital, with its capacity subsequently increasing to about 300 beds. The expansion, he said, would increase bed capacity, improve specialist healthcare delivery, strengthen medical education and research, create jobs and stimulate economic activity in the Volta and Oti regions.
The Chief Executive Officer of HTH, Dr. Hintermann Mbroh, acknowledged challenges affecting service delivery but assured the public that management was taking steps to improve patient experience and customer care. He welcomed plans to establish a cardiology centre at the hospital and pledged the facility’s support for the government’s Free Primary Healthcare programme.
Dr. Mbroh also commended MTN Ghana for supporting the expansion of the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department, which he said had increased its bed capacity from 22 to more than 50. He said management was committed to creating a more welcoming and healing environment while strengthening staff engagement and compassionate care.
The Chairman of the GJA, Volta Chapter, Dr. Harrison Belley, commended the hospital for initiating the engagement and expressed the hope that regular interactions would help reduce misinformation and strengthen public confidence.
Dr. Dorvlo subsequently urged traditional authorities, MPs, MMDCEs, civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector and the media to join the advocacy for the expansion, stressing that the ultimate goal was to transform Ho Teaching Hospital into a world-class centre for specialist healthcare, medical education, research, wellness and medical tourism in West Africa.
FROM Daniel K. Orlando, Ho