My vision is to make Ghana the medical center of West Africa by 2030 – Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo said his vision is to help make Ghana the center of excellence for medical care in West Africa by 2030 with his Agenda 111 hospital initiative.

He noted that his government will take advantage of Ghana’s favorable status in the Region as the most peaceful country in West Africa, a beacon of democracy on the continent and a land of opportunity.

“We will achieve this by investing more in the development of our healthcare infrastructure, by mapping our regional healthcare facilities to specializations, as well as by upgrading some of our regional and university hospital facilities to world-class standards. India and South Africa have shown the way in this regard.

The President said this on Tuesday 17th^e August 2021, when he set the stage for the start of Agenda 111, which he described as the biggest investment ever in the country’s health sector.

To this end, President Akufo-Addo explained that during his first term, a health care infrastructure revitalization program in major hospitals in Ghana was put in place.

“Investments have been made at Korlebu University Hospital in Accra to build a new four hundred bed maternity and gynecology unit and a new one hundred bed urology and nephrology center of excellence. The government will build on this foundation and include two other projects, currently in the planning stage, namely the Trauma and Acute Pain Center and a new surgical ward with modern inpatient facilities. These major investments in Korlebu University Hospital will contribute to its transformation into a modern world-class teaching hospital, ”he said.

The president continued: “Further investments are underway at Komfo Anokye University Hospital in Kumasi, starting with the new maternity and children block with five hundred and fifty (550) beds. Specialized centers for infectious diseases, orthopedics, cancer treatment, cardiovascular health, specialist eye care, among others, will be assigned to some of the regional hospitals, including those to be built under the Agenda. 111.

While upgrading these facilities, he said the government will invest in the medical education and training of the country’s health personnel, including expanding the use of information technology for medical diagnosis and treatment in facilities. of the Agenda 111 under development.

This network of primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities, he said, will be the backbone of the vision to make Ghana the leading destination for health care in West Africa.

“It is envisaged, as part of a public-private partnership, that the Ghana Medical Corps, a voluntary body of medical specialists who draws on the skills and resources of Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians locally and abroad, using information technology and telemedicine to support health care delivery and training, will be in place by 2023. This will provide, in particular, Ghanaian medical experts residing outside Ghana the opportunity to give back to their homeland in a way that supports and extends the delivery of health care, ”he added.

All of these programs, collectively, according to the president, will position Ghana as a leading medical travel destination in West Africa, with the potential to add some two billion dollars ($ 2 billion) to the country’s GDP. by 2030, and, in the process, create some fifty thousand (50,000) jobs in the sector.