The Director of Medical Affairs at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, Dr Baffoe Gyan, has rejected a social media description of the facility as the worst hospital in the country and called for a retraction of the claim. He explained that hospital performance is assessed through established records, infrastructure and professional standards rather than an isolated personal experience.
Dr Gyan emphasised that the University of Ghana Medical Centre has the facilities and professional personnel required to provide advanced medical care. He further indicated that management is pursuing international accreditation as part of plans to position the facility for health tourism.
The Medical Practitioner explained that the hospital’s infrastructure provides several critical services required to save lives. According to him, the facility is also working towards obtaining accreditation from the Joint Commission International as part of efforts to strengthen its standards.
“UGMC is among the best hospitals and dwelling on infrastructure, we have almost everything to save life.”
Dr Baffoe Gyan
The statement follows comments attributed to Michael Blankson on social media concerning his experience at the facility and the treatment of his mother. Dr Gyan argued that an individual experience could form the basis of a personal assessment while a national judgement of a hospital requires consideration of its overall performance.
Referencing the social media post, the UGMC Medical Director appealed to Mr Blankson to reconsider the description and retract it. He suggested that such a statement could influence public perception of the facility, particularly among families seeking specialised medical services.
The hospital’s response also carries a tone of sympathy towards the family following the death of Mr Blankson’s mother. Dr Gyan extended condolences to the Kwabena Kwabena family, referring to the family of the Blanksons, while separating the bereavement from the wider assessment of the medical centre.
Against this backdrop, the institution’s leadership placed emphasis on the standards it continues to pursue. The planned JCI accreditation, he explained, forms part of a longer term objective to strengthen the facility’s credibility and attract patients from Ghana and beyond.
Dr Gyan further argued that the reputation of a major medical institution can affect public confidence in healthcare delivery. For that reason, he urged that individual experiences should be handled through appropriate channels while the institution’s overall performance is assessed through established measures.
The issue has therefore moved beyond a social media exchange into a discussion about how healthcare institutions are judged. For UGMC, the priority remains demonstrating the quality of its infrastructure, clinical expertise and institutional systems while responding to legitimate complaints through recognised procedures.
The Medical Director also indicated that the hospital remains willing to engage with patients and families who encounter difficulties during treatment. Such engagement, he explained, allows specific issues to be identified and addressed without attaching a sweeping judgement to the entire institution.
UGMC Gives Account Of Eight Week Admission And ICU Dispute
The University of Ghana Medical Centre also provided details about the circumstances surrounding the treatment of Mr Blankson’s mother following claims about her experience at the facility. Dr Baffoe Gyan revealed that the patient spent eight weeks at UGMC after being referred from another hospital with an infection.
The case, according to the Director of Medical Affairs, involved six weeks in the Intensive Care Unit, indicating the seriousness of the patient’s medical condition. He explained that the length and complexity of the admission required specialised care and close monitoring by medical teams.
Turning to the dispute involving the family, Dr Gyan disclosed that an incident occurred between a member of the family and an ICU nurse during the admission. The matter was subsequently reported to the police, leaving the security service to handle the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.
Hospital officials also reviewed the patient’s earlier interactions with medical personnel as part of their internal assessment. According to the Medical Director, staff from the Internal Medicine department recalled having a good relationship with the family before the patient was transferred to the ICU.
The absence of a formal complaint formed part of the hospital’s explanation of how the matter developed. Dr Gyan indicated that official channels were available for patients and relatives to raise complaints during an admission, allowing management to investigate specific incidents as they occur.
A key issue in the dispute involved access to the Intensive Care Unit. The Medical Practitioner explained that ICU operations follow stricter protocols because of the nature of care provided to critically ill patients.
Families are allowed to stay with patients in designated areas of the hospital, while ICU access is controlled according to established procedures. Dr Gyan explained that the rules were intended to regulate movement around critically ill patients and protect the conditions required for intensive care.
The disagreement reportedly emerged when a member of the family sought access to the ICU and a nurse attempted to enforce the facility’s access requirements. The situation escalated into a confrontation which the hospital subsequently referred to the police for further handling.
Dr Gyan stressed that the dispute should be treated as an individual incident within a larger medical process. From his perspective, the confrontation did not provide sufficient grounds for judging the entire institution or the work of its medical teams.
The hospital’s response has consequently placed emphasis on procedure, accountability and communication between healthcare providers and families. Management’s position is that complaints can be directed through established channels so specific cases receive proper attention.
The Medical Director also recognised the influence that Mr Blankson’s public profile could have on perceptions of the medical centre. With a substantial audience following his social media activities, comments about the facility can reach a wide public within a short period.
For UGMC, the episode has therefore highlighted the need for clear communication between medical institutions and patients’ families. The facility’s leadership continues to advocate for engagement through formal channels while defending the standards and systems underpinning its clinical operations.
READ ALSO: Don Toliver Keeps the Momentum Rolling with Fresh ‘NITROUS’ Teases
