President John Dramani Mahama has directed the demolition of the ageing Gordon-Guggisberg maternity block at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after describing the facility as a “death trap” that poses a serious danger to mothers, newborns and healthcare workers.
The announcement was made on Thursday during the commissioning of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre in Accra. The President disclosed that government has already begun the procurement process to construct a new state-of-the-art maternity block to replace the deteriorating structure.
Government Begins Procurement for New Facility
President Mahama stated that replacing the old maternity block forms part of a broader national agenda to modernise Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure and improve specialist medical services.
According to him, the Gordon-Guggisberg building has deteriorated beyond acceptable standards, making it unsafe for both patients and medical personnel.
“We will pull down the old Gordon-Guggisberg building that has today become a death trap. Every other day, our mothers give birth in that building. It is a death trap that can cause devastation,” the President said.
The proposed maternity block is expected to provide safer, modern and technologically equipped facilities capable of meeting the growing healthcare needs of women and newborns across Ghana.
Healthcare Investment Beyond Treatment
President Mahama explained that government is shifting its healthcare strategy from merely financing patient treatment to investing in the infrastructure and systems necessary for quality healthcare delivery.
He announced that the mandate of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund has been expanded to include the construction of specialised health facilities, procurement and maintenance of medical equipment, and training of healthcare professionals.
According to the President, experience has shown that investing in medical equipment alone is unsustainable if hospitals lack proper maintenance systems and technical personnel.
He noted that many expensive medical machines supplied to public hospitals in previous years eventually became unusable because of inadequate maintenance, forcing successive governments to repeatedly replace the same equipment.
New Medical Equipment Maintenance Company
To address the recurring maintenance challenge, government will establish Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited, a subsidiary of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
The new company will be responsible for maintaining specialised medical equipment across public hospitals while employing biomedical engineers to ensure regular servicing, repairs and timely replacement of obsolete machines.
The initiative is expected to improve the lifespan of critical healthcare equipment and protect public investments in the health sector.
More Critical Care Nurses to Be Trained
As part of the wider healthcare reform agenda, President Mahama also announced Cabinet approval for the recruitment and training of 500 critical care nurses.
Training has already commenced at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and will later be expanded to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi to strengthen Ghana’s specialist healthcare workforce.
Boosting Maternal Healthcare in Ghana
The demolition and reconstruction project is expected to significantly improve maternal healthcare delivery at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana’s largest referral hospital.
Health sector observers believe replacing the ageing maternity block will enhance patient safety, improve working conditions for healthcare professionals and reduce the risks associated with delivering babies in outdated infrastructure.
The planned investment also aligns with government’s broader objective of strengthening healthcare infrastructure nationwide while improving access to quality specialist care for all Ghanaians.
