Committee to oversee UGMC transfer inaugurated
President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated a Transitional Management Committee to oversee the transfer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) from the Health Ministry to the University of Ghana (UG).
The committee is co-chaired by two medical professionals: Professor Aaron Lawson, a former Provost of the College of Health Sciences of UG, and Prof. Mutawakilu Iddrisu, a neurological specialist of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
President Mahama at a ceremony to inaugurate the committee at the Jubilee House last Tuesday, said that the full integration of UGMC into the university's governance structure represented more than just an administrative change.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by key stakeholders from the health and education sectors, marking a significant step toward enhancing medical education and healthcare delivery in the country.
Alignment
"This is a strategic alignment designed to promote synergy between clinical service delivery, teaching and research," he said.
The President explained that the move would enhance institutional efficiency through harmonised leadership and resource management, while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among medical professionals, researchers and academics.
Medical village
The President outlined a vision where the University of Ghana Medical Village would become a centre of excellence for global partnerships, regional referrals and top-tier training.
"It will be a place where the best minds are trained, the best care is delivered, and groundbreaking research is conducted right here on Ghanaian soil — on African soil," President Mahama stated.
The committee has been tasked with several critical responsibilities, including conducting a comprehensive review of legal mandates and operational structures, developing integration guidelines, designing a practical transition roadmap, and facilitating necessary legal and administrative processes.
It will also identify potential challenges in funding, staffing and resource allocation while proposing sustainable solutions.
Additionally, the committee will review expressions of interest from international healthcare institutions seeking partnerships and is expected to submit a comprehensive report to the President within three months of its inauguration.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the University of Ghana Council, Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew, stated that the transition would fully integrate UGMC into the university's broader framework for training health professionals and advancing clinical research.
She explained that after the transition, UGMC would function not only as a tertiary care facility, but as a dynamic academic medical centre anchored on teaching, service and innovation.
Promise fulfilled
The Vice-Chancellor of UG, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, thanked President Mahama for fulfilling his campaign promise and gave an assurance that the university would approach the responsibility with the seriousness it deserved.
A co-chair of the committee, Prof. Lawson, expressed gratitude to the President for the appointment, assuring him that the members would discharge their duties with diligence.
"We are profoundly grateful for the trust you have placed in us. Mr President, we assure you that we shall not disappoint you," he stated.
Project
The UGMC, located on the UG campus, stems from a long-standing idea first proposed in 1964 for a “medical village”.
While parts of the concept were developed over the years, such as the School of Public Health and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the idea of a full medical centre did not materialise until 2013 when construction began under the late President John Evans Atta Mills, with support from Sheba Medical Centre in Israel.
Phase one was innaugurated by Mr Mahama in January 2017, and phase two was completed under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The facility became fully operational in 2022 and has since been handling delicate and high-profile secondary and tertiary medical cases.
