By Iddi Yire
Accra, July 08, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated a committee to oversee the transfer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), which currently under the Health Ministry to the University of Ghana.
This is in fulfillment of the President’s campaign promise during the 2024 general election.
The Transitional Management Committee is co-chaired by two distinguished Ghanaians, Professor Aaron Lawson, a seasoned academic and former provost of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana, and Professor Mutawakilu Iddrisu, a renowned Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital neurological specialist.
The funding for the construction of the UGMC was secured during the tenure of the late President Professor John Evans Atta Mills, while the construction works and completion of its phase one was achieved through the first term of President Mahama.
Phase Two was accomplished during President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
President Mahama, in his address, noted that the next phase of their vision calls for the full integration of the UGMC into the University of Ghana’s governance and operational structures; declaring that “this is not a mere administrative action.
He said: “It is a strategic alignment designed to promote synergy between clinical service delivery, teaching, and research to enhance institutional efficiency through harmonized leadership and resource management, to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between medical professionals, researchers, and academics, and most importantly, to create a truly world-class teaching hospital that serves the needs of both Ghana and the wider West African subregion.”
The committee is tasked with eight responsibilities: It is to conduct a comprehensive review of the legal mandates, operational structures, and academic frameworks of UGMC and the University of Ghana Medical School.
Secondly, it would develop integration guidelines to ensure coherence between UGMC’s clinical mandates and the university’s teaching and research mandates.
It is to design a practical roadmap with clear timelines and a communication plan to guide stakeholders through the transition process, facilitate all legal and administrative processes necessary for the seamless transfer and integration of UGMC into the University of Ghana, and identify any potential challenges, particularly in funding, staffing, and resource allocation, and propose sustainable solutions.
The committee is to establish a transition secretariat to provide operational and logistical support during the transition period, review expressions of interest for partnership by international health care institutions and submit a comprehensive report to the President of the Republic within three months from date of inauguration.
President Mahama charged the committee to work urgently and with a sense of historic responsibility.
“You’re laying the foundation for a legacy of health care and medical education excellence. You’re building a bridge between the past and the future,” he said.
President Mahama envisioned a Ghana which would serve as a hub for medical innovation, ethical practice, and world-class health outcomes.
Professor Aaron Lawson, co-chair of the UGMC Management Transitional Committee, expressed sincere appreciation to the President for the honor done them.
“We are profoundly grateful for the trust you have placed in us. Mr President, we assure you that we shall not disappoint you,” he said.
Madam Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew, Chairperson, University of Ghana Council, said the change would fully integrate the UGMC into the University’s broader framework for training health professionals, advancing clinical research, and shaping national health policy, of course, with the assistance of the Minister for Health.
She said after the transition was complete, it was expected that UGMC should function not just as a tertiary care facility, but as a dynamic academic medical center anchored in teaching service and innovation.
Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, thanked President Mahama for fulfilling his campaign promise of handing over the UGMC to the University.
She reiterated that they would not take it lightly at all and that it was an onerous task the President had put on the University.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah