President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned the Ghana Medical Trust Fund’s Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
He described the facility as another important milestone in the country’s effort to build a healthcare system that is equitable, resilient, and responsive to the changing health needs of Ghanaians.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, President Mahama said the project demonstrates government’s unwavering belief that every Ghanaian, regardless of income, geography, or social status, deserves access to quality healthcare.
“The true wealth of any nation lies in the health and well-being of its people. Healthy citizens are more productive, children learn better, families thrive, businesses flourish, and nations prosper. Every investment we make in healthcare is therefore an investment in Ghana’s human capital and in the future of our country.”
President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama used his address to highlight a shift in Ghana’s health challenges, noting that while the country continues to make progress against infectious diseases, it now faces a rapid increase in non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancers, kidney failure, diabetes, and hypertension.
These conditions, he said, now account for a significant share of premature deaths and long-term disability nationwide. Beyond the medical toll, President Mahama pointed to the financial devastation these illnesses often cause.
He said too many households have exhausted their savings, sold valuable assets, or abandoned treatment altogether simply because specialised healthcare remained beyond their financial reach. “No responsible government can ignore this reality,” he said.
Two Initiatives Driving Reform
To address these gaps, President Mahama pointed to two programmes his government introduced, the Free Primary Healthcare Programme and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
He explained that the Free Primary Healthcare Programme focuses on prevention, early diagnosis, and timely intervention at the community level, aiming to catch diseases before they become life-threatening.
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund, he said, complements this work by financing specialised treatment while investing in infrastructure, equipment, research, and specialist training.
Together with the National Health Insurance Scheme, President Mahama described these initiatives as government’s answer to achieving universal health coverage. “Today’s commissioning is tangible evidence that this vision is within reach and is becoming a reality,” he said.
From Petition to Restoration After Fire
President Mahama recalled that commissioning a cath lab at Korle-Bu had been one of his final duties before leaving office in 2017, a project prompted by a petition he received about the absence of the critical equipment at the nation’s premier teaching hospital.
That facility, he said, transformed cardiovascular care in Ghana for almost a decade, enabling thousands of patients to undergo life-saving, minimally invasive procedures without travelling abroad.
The destruction of that facility in a fire in March 2025 marked a significant setback, disrupting services and placing added pressure on clinicians and patients alike. President Mahama framed the new laboratory not simply as a replacement but as an improvement.
“Today, however, we celebrate not merely the replacement of what was lost, but we celebrate the creation of something even better than what we lost,” he said, describing the project as restoration, renewal, and progress.
Advanced Technology to Expand Treatment Capacity
The new facility, President Mahama explained, will significantly improve Ghana’s capacity to diagnose and treat complex cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease, structural heart disease, and peripheral vascular disease.
He added that the lab will also enhance the country’s ability to deliver timely neurovascular interventions for stroke patients, where speed of treatment often determines whether a patient achieves full recovery or faces permanent disability.
President Mahama framed each successful procedure at the facility as more than a medical outcome. “It will mean another patient returning home to his family, another worker returning to productive employment, another young Ghanaian giving a second chance to pursue their dreams,” he said.
Expanding Cardiac Care Beyond Accra
President Mahama stressed that the Korle-Bu facility forms part of a broader national strategy rather than an isolated project.
Through the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, the government is establishing two new comprehensive cardiology centres at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Tamale Teaching Hospital, bringing specialised cardiovascular care closer to millions of Ghanaians in the middle and northern parts of the country.
“Health care should never depend on where one lives. Every citizen deserves equitable access to quality specialist services,” he said. He added that government is also processing plans to build similar facilities at Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in Takoradi and Ho Teaching Hospital in the Volta Region.
Once completed, these centres will offer comprehensive cardiovascular care incorporating diagnostics, imaging, intensive care units, specialised consulting suites, laboratories, pharmacies, and oxygen systems.
Honouring Healthcare Workers and Partners
President Mahama expressed profound gratitude to the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, biomedical engineers, laboratory scientists, technicians, and support staff whose work makes such facilities meaningful. “While modern equipment is indispensable, it is your skill, your compassion, and your professionalism that ultimately will save lives,” he said.
He also commended the Board of Trustees and management of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, the Ministry of Health under Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the management of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the National Cardiothoracic Centre, and contractor Mr Diaz and his team, for their role in completing the project.
A New Body to Maintain Medical Equipment
Turning to the challenge of sustaining such investments, President Mahama acknowledged that Ghana has too often invested substantial public resources in valuable infrastructure only to see it deteriorate due to neglected maintenance.
To address this, he announced the establishment of the Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited, a body intended to ensure the country’s medical infrastructure receives the upkeep needed to remain functional over the long term. President Mahama closed his remarks by framing the investment in healthcare as part of a broader generational responsibility.
“Let history record that this generation chose to invest not only in roads, bridges, and buildings, but also in the health, dignity, and future of our people.
“Long after today’s ceremony has ended, the true significance of this facility will be measured not by the sophistication of the equipment, but by the countless lives it will save, by the families it will keep together, and the hope it will restore to a grateful nation.”
President John Dramani Mahama
He formally declared the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital commissioned for the service of the people of Ghana.
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