| Speech
Statement by UG Vice Chancellor at UGMC Phase II Launch
Your Excellency, President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Honourable Minister for Health, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Honourable Ministers of State and Members of Parliament, Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, UGMC Board Chairman and other members of the Board, Dr. Darius Kofi Osei, Chief Executive Officer and other Management Staff of UGMC, Provost, College of Health Sciences, Registrar, and other officials of the University of Ghana Other Members of the University community present, Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Development Partners, Staff of the University of Ghana and UGMC, The Media, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I am excited to be here today to witness the commissioning of Phase II of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) Project.
The vision to establish a Centre like we have now was part of an idea conceptualized by the University of Ghana to establish a ‘Medical Village’ of excellence on our Legon campus, to enhance the training of all categories of health professionals for the country and beyond. It is indeed fulfilling to see that this idea which was originally conceived 58 years ago, in 1964, and actively reactivated by former Vice-Chancellor Professor Ernest Aryeetey has been realized with the construction and completion of the first and second phases of the UGMC project. At the time, the vision was to have a more integrated academic community, which did far more research than ever before and worked in a more interdisciplinary manner. The Vice-Chancellor then insisted that the University’s medical training programme needed to involve the larger health research community far more than had happened in the past. He also believed that the training of doctors should not isolate them from other students studying in the Arts, Social Sciences and the Natural Sciences.
In March 2012, when the late President His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills performed the sod-cutting ceremony for the project, he noted that the Medical Centre would be funded through a million US dollar Government of Ghana loan from the Israeli Government. Your Excellency, we are grateful that successive governments have supported this vision up to this point. We are grateful for your continued interest and engagement. Mr. Chair, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as indicated, the Centre commenced partial operations in 2018 when the first phase of the project which included the Out-Patient Department (OPD) and Administration Unit was completed.
Today, we are witnessing the commissioning of Phase II of the project, which began in 2019 and was completed in December 2021, under the leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, ably supported by the Honourable Minister of Health. It is commendable that the second phase of the project was completed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been so disruptive to many economies, businesses, lives, and livelihoods. We applaud the dedicated team of experts on the Project Steering Committee, Project Implementation Committee and the User Panel who have been involved with the planning and execution of this project to ensure that it was delivered on schedule.
At the peak of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, we witnessed with admiration, the pivotal role played by UGMC in the management of cases especially those with complications or underlying conditions requiring urgent resuscitation and emergency care. The University of Ghana is proud to be associated with this success story, and indeed with the entire UGMC story. We note that UGMC, which is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities is providing top-notch quarternary medical care and training for health care professionals in Ghana, the West African sub-region and beyond.
Through faculty members in our College of Health Sciences, we are able to champion the training of our students and continuing professional development for our faculty in the Health Sciences using facilities at UGMC. This is done particularly using the resources in the Simulation Centre, which is headed by our very own Professor Aaron Lawson. As a world-class university with some of the world’s leading research scientists, the University of Ghana will continue to partner UGMC in its commitment to providing premium health care, train health professionals and conduct research. I look forward to a full transition process where we will return to the original vision of UGMC as part of a “Medical Village” on Legon campus which allows for an integrated training for our health professionals, within an interdisciplinary context. UGMC has huge prospects and with the right publicity, visibility, and collaboration with internal and external partners, UGMC is poised to make a significant impact on the health infrastructure in the West African Sub-region and beyond. The University of Ghana will continue to collaborate with the Medical and Training Simulation Centre of UGMC for the provision of hands-on learning experience to equip our Medical and Allied Health students with requisite skills for their training as well as the continuous professional development of our faculty and staff on health-related programmes.
As Vice-Chancellor, my first Key Strategic Objective is to reinvigorate impactful research, hence specific Units within the University such as the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), the West Africa Centre for Genetic Medicine, among others, will continue to explore areas of possible collaboration with UGMC to conduct ground-breaking research towards the discovery of new treatments and procedures to improve upon the health and wellbeing of Ghanaians, Africans and the world as a whole. Again, UGMC, with its modern amenities and technologies, provides an avenue for the execution of my second Key Strategic Objective which is to develop technology-driven and robust processes in teaching and learning.
On behalf of the Governing Council and Management of the University, I wish to assure Management of the University of Ghana Medical Centre that we will continue to support the Centre to ensure its successful operation and expansion for the provision of top-notch healthcare. We will also forge stronger ties and collaborations to ensure that UGMC becomes self-financing and forms an integral part of training for our healthcare professionals, sustaining its activities to serve generations unborn. Your Excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention.
Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Vice-Chancellor
June 17, 2022
In March 2012, when the late President His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills performed the sod-cutting ceremony for the project, he noted that the Medical Centre would be funded through a million US dollar Government of Ghana loan from the Israeli Government. Your Excellency, we are grateful that successive governments have supported this vision up to this point. We are grateful for your continued interest and engagement. Mr. Chair, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as indicated, the Centre commenced partial operations in 2018 when the first phase of the project which included the Out-Patient Department (OPD) and Administration Unit was completed.
Today, we are witnessing the commissioning of Phase II of the project, which began in 2019 and was completed in December 2021, under the leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, ably supported by the Honourable Minister of Health. It is commendable that the second phase of the project was completed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been so disruptive to many economies, businesses, lives, and livelihoods. We applaud the dedicated team of experts on the Project Steering Committee, Project Implementation Committee and the User Panel who have been involved with the planning and execution of this project to ensure that it was delivered on schedule.
At the peak of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, we witnessed with admiration, the pivotal role played by UGMC in the management of cases especially those with complications or underlying conditions requiring urgent resuscitation and emergency care. The University of Ghana is proud to be associated with this success story, and indeed with the entire UGMC story. We note that UGMC, which is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities is providing top-notch quarternary medical care and training for health care professionals in Ghana, the West African sub-region and beyond.
Through faculty members in our College of Health Sciences, we are able to champion the training of our students and continuing professional development for our faculty in the Health Sciences using facilities at UGMC. This is done particularly using the resources in the Simulation Centre, which is headed by our very own Professor Aaron Lawson. As a world-class university with some of the world’s leading research scientists, the University of Ghana will continue to partner UGMC in its commitment to providing premium health care, train health professionals and conduct research. I look forward to a full transition process where we will return to the original vision of UGMC as part of a “Medical Village” on Legon campus which allows for an integrated training for our health professionals, within an interdisciplinary context. UGMC has huge prospects and with the right publicity, visibility, and collaboration with internal and external partners, UGMC is poised to make a significant impact on the health infrastructure in the West African Sub-region and beyond. The University of Ghana will continue to collaborate with the Medical and Training Simulation Centre of UGMC for the provision of hands-on learning experience to equip our Medical and Allied Health students with requisite skills for their training as well as the continuous professional development of our faculty and staff on health-related programmes.
As Vice-Chancellor, my first Key Strategic Objective is to reinvigorate impactful research, hence specific Units within the University such as the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), the West Africa Centre for Genetic Medicine, among others, will continue to explore areas of possible collaboration with UGMC to conduct ground-breaking research towards the discovery of new treatments and procedures to improve upon the health and wellbeing of Ghanaians, Africans and the world as a whole. Again, UGMC, with its modern amenities and technologies, provides an avenue for the execution of my second Key Strategic Objective which is to develop technology-driven and robust processes in teaching and learning.
On behalf of the Governing Council and Management of the University, I wish to assure Management of the University of Ghana Medical Centre that we will continue to support the Centre to ensure its successful operation and expansion for the provision of top-notch healthcare. We will also forge stronger ties and collaborations to ensure that UGMC becomes self-financing and forms an integral part of training for our healthcare professionals, sustaining its activities to serve generations unborn. Your Excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention.
Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Vice-Chancellor
June 17, 2022
