The Transition Committee, tasked with overseeing the transfer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) from the Ministry of Health to the University of Ghana, has presented its report to President John Dramani Mahama.
The nine-member Committee, co-chaired by Professors Aaron Lawson, a former Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana, and Mutawakilu Ibin Idrisu, a neurological specialist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, was constituted on June 8 last year.
Their mandate was to align UGMC’s clinical operations with the university’s academic and research objectives. They were also tasked to conduct a legal and operational review, develop integration guidelines, create a roadmap with clear timelines, establish a transition secretariat, and address funding and staffing challenges.
Presenting their report to the President at the Presidency in Accra yesterday, Professor Lawson said the committee assessed operations, proposed integration guidelines, identified challenges and solutions, and provided an implementation plan.
On sustainability analysis, he emphasised that “we have modeled scenarios for self-sustainability, capacity utilisation, required investments and pathways to reduce reliance on government subventions with precise calculations and recommendations.”
The committee has developed a 10-year implementation roadmap in three phases: immediate actions for year one, medium-term steps from years two to five, and long-term strategies from years six to ten.
Professor Lawson noted that the committee’s recommendations cover service delivery, human resources, infrastructure, finances, and integration. “We trust that the recommendations herein will support continuity, strengthen governance and safeguard the centre’s long-term vision,” he stated.
In his remarks after receiving the report, President Mahama said Cabinet would deliberate on the report for the way forward. “We are looking to take it to Cabinet for decision, and once Cabinet does that, we’ll itemise what the steps are towards an eventual full transition,” he indicated.
As Ghana’s first and only quaternary health facility, the UGMC, President Mahama said, must be supported to maintain standards in both clinical care and logistics. He commended the committee members for their diligence in executing their mandate.
Other members of the committee are Professors Yvonne Adu-Mensah – Dean, University of Ghana Medical School; Yao Kwakume – Director, Family Health Hospital; Titus Beyuo – Member of Parliament for Lambussie; Samuel Kaba Akoriyea – Director-General, Ghana Health Service; Nana Aba Appiah Amfo – Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana; Dr Abdul Bassit Aziz Bamba – Head of Legal, University of Ghana; and Miss Matilda Ewusiwa Azumah – Head of Legal, Ministry of Education.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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