By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Feb 10, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has received the Transition Committee’s report on the transfer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) from the Ministry of Health to the University of Ghana.
The report was presented to him at the Presidency in Accra by Professor Aaron Lawson, Co-chair of the Transitional Management Committee, a seasoned academic and former Provost of the University’s College of Health Sciences.
President Mahama expressed gratitude to the Committee for the diligence with which it had executed its mandate.
He described the UGMC as Ghana’s highest quaternary medical facility, stating that it is of world-class standard.
“We want to see it maintain that standard both in terms of clinical care and in terms of logistics and equipment,” he said.
“And so, we want to find the best path in which we can maintain the hospital at the standard in which it is.”
The President explained that the Hospital was envisioned as a world-class centre for research and learning for the University of Ghana.
He said he was pleased that the Committee had completed its work and submitted the report, adding that it would be studied and forwarded to Cabinet for discussion.
He noted that once Cabinet adopts the report, the next step would be to outline a clear roadmap towards the full transition of the Hospital into the service and management of the University.
“And so, let me thank the Committee very much for this presentation. And I don’t know if your work was gratis, but if it was, your reward is in heaven. We thank you very much for this great work,” he said.
Presenting the report, Prof Lawson said the Committee recommended a 10-year transition plan to fully wean the UGMC off government subventions, guided by performance-based leadership contracts.
He outlined a three-phase implementation roadmap.
The first year, he said, prioritises the legal transfer process, including share transfer and governance agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, board reconstitution, human resource mapping, and initial rotations of University of Ghana Medical School faculty at the UGMC.
Phase two, covering years one to four, focuses on strengthening functional integration through the expansion of specialist services, infrastructure upgrades, residency programmes, accreditations, and international partnerships.
Phase three, spanning years five to 10, is expected to culminate in full institutional maturation, with advanced research facilities, the relocation of the College of Health Sciences to Legon, and the positioning of the UGMC as Ghana’s premier quaternary health centre within a consolidated academic health system.
Prof Lawson added that the recommendations address service delivery, human resources, infrastructure, financial sustainability, and institutional integration, forming a comprehensive 10-year blueprint with immediate, medium-term, and long-term strategies.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah