By Jones Anlimah
The Ho Teaching Hospital in the Ho municipality of the Volta Region has inaugurated five new facilities to improve service delivery, enhance patient care, and provide accurate data for research. This is in furtherance of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
At a ceremony to inaugurate the facilities, the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr. John Tampuori, stated that the additions would transform the hospital into a one-stop shop for its ever-increasing clientele and support the provision of comprehensive, patient-centred healthcare.
The new facilities include a Family Health Centre, established in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Ho; a Psychological Medicine Department; a CT Scan Unit; a Pharmacy Complex; and the Hospital’s Annex, located in Adaklu on the Ho-Kpetoe road.
Dr. Tampuori emphasised the significance of the new facilities in addressing the healthcare challenges of the Volta Region and beyond. “These facilities represent our commitment to delivering comprehensive, patient-centred healthcare while supporting accurate data collection for research purposes. By providing services that meet international standards, we are not only improving patient care but also advancing our role as a hub for medical education and research in the region,” Dr. Tampuori stated.
He further highlighted that the Family Health Centre and the Psychological Medicine Department would address critical gaps in maternal health, mental health care, and disease diagnosis. “This initiative aligns with our vision of making the Ho Teaching Hospital a one-stop shop for the increasing number of clients we serve,” he added.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa, commended the hospital’s leadership for prioritising healthcare development in line with SDG 3. “Attaining the objectives of the SDGs and universal health coverage can only happen when there is an expansion and improvement in hospital facilities, among other interventions. To deliver quality healthcare, more facilities must be built to accommodate the ever-increasing population and ease pressure on existing ones,” he noted.
Dr. Letsa also urged the hospital to adopt a robust maintenance culture to prolong the lifespan of the new facilities for future generations. “I appeal to the hospital to establish a healthy maintenance culture of these facilities to prolong their lifespan for posterity’s sake,” he added.
A representative of the Board Chairman of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Dr. Sodoke Amuzu, expressed gratitude to the hospital’s partners, including the Rotary Club of Ho, for their collaboration in enhancing the hospital’s infrastructure. He was optimistic about the hospital’s potential in medical tourism.
“We envision making the hospital a medical tourism center. This vision entails significant effort, and I am happy to inform you that we have already started taking the necessary steps toward achieving it. Among these steps was the restructuring of the hospital’s management structure. We were the first teaching hospital in Ghana to appoint a Director of Allied Health Services and a Medical Tourism Coordinator. These appointments were strategic for realising this vision,” Dr. Amuzu stated.
The inauguration of the five new facilities underscores the hospital’s dedication to providing a holistic approach to healthcare. With its enhanced capacity, the Ho Teaching Hospital is well-positioned to serve as a regional centre of excellence, contributing significantly to the achievement of SDG 3 and universal health coverage, ensuring that no one is left behind in the pursuit of quality healthcare.
