University of Ghana Medical Centre beefs up staff strength

The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has increased its staff strength to enable it to scale up operations by the end of this month.

The facility, which is a quaternary medical and research centre, has added 181 medical and support staff to its initial staff strength of 142.

To this end, the centre will be undertaking additional services in areas such as medicine, general surgery, cardiology, urology, emergency medicine, gastroenterology and dermatology.

Others are imaging and radiology, medical laboratory, pharmacy and ophthalmology.

When the facility was opened in July 2018, it started with medical and pharmaceutical services in the areas of obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, family medicine and pharmacy on a limited scale.

650-bed facility

The 650-bed facility which is the first phase, when fully operational, will perform three main functions — healthcare delivery, training and research.

Parliament has approved $50million loan for the completion of the second phase expected to be ready and fully operational in December next year.

When completed, the facility will be equipped with a VIP maternity and a private floor, cardiovascular and open-heart surgery unit and a neurosurgery unit.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, who was the keynote speaker at a simulation exercise for the new staff in Accra yesterday, called on the staff to ensure that they maintained world-class standards in their dealings with their patients.

He said although the facility was adorned with beautiful structures, the attitude of the staff within it would show how ‘beautiful’ the place was.

The vice chancellor called on them to exhibit the highest sense of commitment and dedication to their work, saying that was what would make the facility a success.

Prof. Owusu expressed the hope that the centre would work at helping to change the mindset and perception of people about healthcare delivery in the country.

Be selfless

As health personnel, he called on them to be extremely selfless and that “even if you do not have a pesewa in your pocket, it is a professional requirement to smile.”

Prof. Owusu also called on the staff to eschew extortion from their patients and other vices that would put the name of the centre into disrepute.

The Chairman of the UGMC Interim Management Committee, Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, also admonished the staff not only to be knowledgeable about their work, but also be compassionate and respectful at all times.

He said the average Ghanaian had a lot of expectations from the centre and, therefore, it was their duty to ensure that all the expectations of the public about the facility were met.

Dr Asamoa-Baah also said people were genuinely impatient about how soon the facility would be operational as a lot of money had been sunk into it, and therefore called on the management and staff to ensure that they delivered on point.

Medical protocols

The interim Chief Executive Officer of UGMC, Dr Darius Osei, said medical protocols had been put in place to ensure that the facility operated at its expected capacity.

In the near future, he said, the facility was looking at attracting medical professionals from outside the country as part of its service provision.

He said the management was hopeful that the facility would attract patients from other African countries and other parts of the world.

Writer's email-rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh