By Michael Foli Jackidy
Ho (V/R), Aug. 6, GNA – The Governing Board of the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) has held its maiden stakeholder engagement with the Volta Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability and stronger collaboration with the media to advance quality healthcare delivery.
The meeting, held in Ho, brought together members of the Hospital’s Governing Board and Management, executives of the Volta Regional GJA and media practitioners to discuss the Hospital’s achievements, future plans and the role of the media in promoting public confidence in the health sector.
Dr Delanyo Tsidi Dovlo, Chairman of the Governing Board, described the media as one of the Hospital’s key stakeholders, saying journalists played a vital role in shaping public confidence in healthcare, promoting healthy behaviours and serving as a bridge between health institutions and the communities they serve.
He said the Hospital had continued to make significant progress in delivering specialist healthcare, training health professionals and advancing research despite challenges confronting the health sector.
Dr Dovlo said investments in modern medical equipment, infrastructure and highly skilled personnel had strengthened specialist clinical services and expanded access to quality healthcare.
He said the Hospital’s Laboratory Services had attained a Four-Star SafeCare Rating and successfully completed the ISO 15189 pre-assessment, positioning the laboratory towards international accreditation.
He added that the Hospital had enhanced patient care through quality improvement initiatives, strengthened infection prevention and control systems, digital health innovations and improved patient safety measures as part of efforts to attain Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation by the end of 2027.
Dr Dovlo highlighted the establishment of the Hospital’s Music Therapy Studio, the first of its kind in West Africa, as one of its landmark achievements under its wellness and medical tourism agenda.
He said the facility had attracted clients from across Ghana and abroad, reflecting the Hospital’s commitment to integrating evidence-based complementary therapies into conventional healthcare while positioning Ho as a destination for wellness and medical tourism.
Dr Dovlo said expanding the Hospital’s infrastructure had become an urgent strategic priority due to increasing demand for specialist healthcare services from the Volta and Oti Regions and neighbouring countries.
He expressed appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama and the Government for their commitment to the Ho Teaching Hospital Expansion Project and appealed for the expedited operationalisation of the Korea Exim Bank loan facility to enable construction work to commence without further delay.
“The expansion project is not only for Ho Teaching Hospital but for the Volta and Oti Regions and Ghana as a whole. It will increase bed capacity, expand specialist services, strengthen medical education and research, create employment and contribute to economic development,” he said.
Dr Dovlo called on traditional leaders, Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector and the media to support advocacy efforts towards the timely implementation of the project.
He reiterated the Board’s vision of positioning Ho Teaching Hospital as a centre of excellence for healthcare, medical education, research, wellness and medical tourism in Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The Board Chairman also appealed to journalists to continue providing responsible, balanced and ethical health reporting that educated the public, promoted health-seeking behaviour, combated misinformation and strengthened public confidence while holding institutions accountable.
He assured the media that the Governing Board remained committed to transparency, constructive engagement and continuous improvement, adding that constructive criticism and professional investigative reporting would help improve service delivery.
Dr Hintermann Mbroh, Chief Executive Officer of Ho Teaching Hospital, said the engagement underscored the Hospital’s appreciation of the media’s role in building public trust and strengthening relationships with external stakeholders.
He said Management considered the meeting timely and expressed the hope that regular engagements with journalists would foster greater public understanding of the Hospital’s work and development agenda.
Dr Harrison Belley, Chairman of the Volta Regional GJA, commended the Governing Board for initiating what he described as the first formal engagement between the Hospital’s Governing Board and the Association.
He said the meeting demonstrated the Hospital’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with the media and would enhance journalists’ understanding of the institution’s operations, enabling them to produce more accurate, balanced and informative reports.
Dr Belley thanked the Hospital for the engagement and appealed for it to become a regular platform for dialogue, saying sustained interaction would strengthen transparency, improve public communication and deepen collaboration between the Hospital and the media.
GNA
Edited By: Maxwell Awumah/Audrey Dekalu