Phase II of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) project has been successfully completed and handed over to management of the Centre.
The Project Management Team (PMT) of the Ministry of Health handed the Centre over to management of the UGMC at a brief ceremony held at the Centre’s premises.
According to CEO of the UGMC, Dr. Darius Osei, the Centre has three main focal areas: namely a 1,000-bed Clinical Services section, the biggest Medical Training and Simulation Centre in West Africa, and a Medical and Scientific Research Centre that will serve as a central hub for local and international research. Dr. Osei stated: “I am truly excited that Phase II of the UGMC has been completed in the midst of a pandemic of historic proportions”.
The Director of Medical Affairs at the Clinical Services Section of the UGMC, Dr. Kwame Anim-Boamah, disclosed in an interview that this Section of the Centre houses the biggest Intensive Care Unit in Ghana (a 16-bed Intensive Care Unit) as well as the second-biggest Cardiothoracic Centre in the country.
He added that the Health Care section of UGMC has engaged a number of consultants, specialists and sub-specialists with expertise in areas such as Sleep medicine, sex dysfunction, cardiothoracic surgery, urology, endoscopy, dermatology, plastic surgery, neurosurgery, EnT, dental and ophthalmology for the public’s benefit.
Dr. Boamah added that the engagement of more international and local sub-specialists is ongoing. He further revealed that the Imaging Department of the Centre has an angiography machine, a fluoroscopy machine, an MRI, a CT scanner and a mammography machine, among others, to enable the public access these medical imaging services without delays.
Prof. Aaron Lawson, Director of the UGMC Medical Training and Simulation Centre (MTSC), also stated that the MTSC is well-equipped to offer health and non-health workers training involving patient simulation, simulated clinical environments, simulated virtual procedure stations and simulated standardised patients.
He revealed that some of the training programmes organised by the MTSC include Basic Life Support (CPR) which could help save lives by equipping the public with basic skills needed to quickly resuscitate individuals whose hearts stop suddenly, or go into cardiac arrest, before health professionals arrive at the scene. He added that several other advanced training programmes for professional health workers are also available at the Centre.
The Director of UGMC Medical and Scientific Research Centre (MSRC), Dr. George Kyei, revealed that the focus areas of the MRSC include epidemiology/clinical trials, cardiovascular genetics, maternal foetal medicine, regenerative medicine, transplant medicine, infectious diseases and big data science.
Dr. Kyei stated in an interview: “The time is ripe for Ghana and Africa to conduct research using our own people, and so the Centre is open to collaborations with industry, non-governmental organisations and top universities around the world to achieve this”.
Dr. Osei, in his concluding remarks, stated that: “The UGMC has plans of becoming one of the best destinations for medical tourism in the sub-region, and is therefore positioning itself to offer World Class Patient Care, Training and Research in Ghana, Africa and the World”.
