President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that negotiations are being restarted to secure a $200 million exit facility from South Korea to upgrade Ho Teaching Hospital, a deal he said stalled after Ghana’s debt restructuring exercise disrupted the original arrangement.
Speaking during a Citizen Engagement session at Ho Technical University, part of his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Volta Region, the President used the platform to update residents on the status of the Korean-backed hospital project alongside progress at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, which he visited a day earlier.
“Despite the challenges caused by debt restructuring, we are determined to secure the financing needed to complete this important healthcare project.”
The President recalled that during a visit to Korea, he held a one-on-one meeting with the country’s Prime Minister and met other senior government officials, where an exit facility of about $200 million was arranged specifically to upgrade facilities at Ho Teaching Hospital. He explained that the arrangement was subsequently affected by Ghana’s debt restructuring process, forcing the deal into limbo before it could be finalised.
Following a further visit to Korea, the President said talks have now resumed to revive the financing arrangement, with the goal of securing the $200 million needed to modernise the hospital.
UHAS Laboratory Block Set to Be Largest in West Africa
Turning to the University of Health and Allied Sciences, the President described a visit made the previous day, during which the Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor, then in the midst of a Council meeting, commended government for its work supporting the institution. He said the visit included an inspection of a new laboratory block under construction, noting with evident pride that he had cut the sod for the project during his earlier term as President.
He said the completed facility would give UHAS the largest laboratory complex in West Africa, a development he linked directly to how universities are ranked internationally, since research and learning infrastructure such as laboratories weighs heavily in institutional assessments. The new complex, he explained, will include a simulation centre where students can practise surgical procedures and nursing care techniques before progressing to hands-on training.
New Pathology Lab to Support Hands-On Medical Training
Beyond the simulation centre, the President said the laboratory block will also house a substantial pathology laboratory equipped with a mortuary, allowing students to move from simulated practice to physical pathology work using cadavers.
He said the university is additionally in contact with the National Vaccine Institute, with one of the new laboratories designated specifically for pathogen research, an area currently served in Ghana only by the Noguchi Memorial Institute. The partnership, he said, would ultimately allow UHAS to work alongside the National Vaccine Institute to produce vaccines domestically.
Council Flags Continued Need for Lecture Rooms and Hostels
The President said the university’s Council used the visit to brief him on outstanding needs, particularly additional lecture rooms and hostel accommodation, concerns he said government has taken note of. Despite these gaps, he reflected on how far the institution has come since its founding under pioneer Vice-Chancellor Professor Minka, describing its growth as continuous since those early days.
He described UHAS as government’s enduring priority, tracing its origins to the vision of the late Professor John Atta Mills, and pledged that the university would continue to receive its fair share of national resources going forward.
Negotiations Resume as Government Eyes Hospital Expansion
Attention will now turn to whether the renewed negotiations with Korean officials succeed in unlocking the $200 million facility for Ho Teaching Hospital’s planned 500-bed expansion, alongside the progress of the UHAS laboratory block, which government has positioned as a flagship project expected to elevate the university’s international research standing once completed.