Gov’t Begins Construction of Three Major Cardiology Centres
Three modern cardiology centres are currently under construction at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Tamale Teaching Hospital as part of efforts to strengthen specialist heart and vascular care across Ghana.
The project is being undertaken by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series, Administrator of the Trust Fund, Obuobia Darko-Opoku, said the facilities were strategically selected to decentralise specialist cardiac care and improve access across the country.
According to her, each centre will be equipped with advanced medical infrastructure including:
Catheterisation laboratories
Hybrid theatres
Intensive Care Units (ICUs)
Recovery wards
Consulting rooms
Dedicated oxygen systems
On-site pharmacies
Diagnostic and investigation laboratories
The centres are expected to handle a wide range of complex heart and vascular procedures.
Nationwide Assessment Revealed Serious Gaps
Madam Darko-Opoku explained that the project followed a nationwide healthcare needs assessment conducted across 21 hospitals, including teaching, regional, and referral hospitals.
The assessment revealed major shortages in specialist healthcare infrastructure nationwide, including:
Only two MRI machines across the assessed facilities
Just five mammogram machines
Only two practicing cardiologists serving the entire northern sector of Ghana
Only two public radiotherapy machines nationwide, with one additional machine in the private sector, all concentrated in Accra and Kumasi
She noted that the findings exposed significant inequalities in access to specialised healthcare services across the country.
Additional Medical Support
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund has also supplied dialysis machines, ICU beds, and patient monitors to several facilities including:
Sunyani Teaching Hospital
Holy Family Hospital
Volta Regional Hospital
Future Plans
The Trust Fund also plans to establish comprehensive cancer treatment centres capable of offering:
Diagnostics
Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Advanced technologies such as Gamma Knife systems
The first of these cancer centres is expected to be established at Ridge Hospital.
