President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated a committee to oversee the transfer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) from the Ministry of Health to the University of Ghana, marking a pivotal step in aligning healthcare delivery with academic excellence.
The nine-member Transitional Management Committee, co-chaired by former College of Health Sciences Aaron Lawson provost and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital neurosurgeon Mutawakilu Iddrissu, has been tasked with guiding the integration of UGMC into the university’s governance structure.
Mahama emphasised the significance of the committee’s work, urging the members to “work diligently 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.”
The committee’s mandate includes reviewing legal and operational frameworks, developing integration guidelines, facilitating administrative processes and proposing solutions to challenges such as funding and staffing.
It will also assess partnership proposals from international health institutions and submit a comprehensive report to the president within three months.
Commissioned during Mahama’s first term at a cost of $271 million, UGMC is a quaternary facility offering specialised services in cardiology, neurology, oncology and more.
It houses West Africa’s largest digitised medical simulation centre, a medical hotel, fertility services and a helipad for emergency evacuations.
JN/APA