President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) will undergo a major upgrade to match its status as a referral and training facility.

Speaking at a durbar on the government’s Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) policy at the Ho Municipal Hospital as part of his two-day visit to the Volta Region, the President said the government was taking steps to address concerns over the hospital’s slow transformation since its elevation to a teaching hospital.

In 2019, the Volta Regional Hospital (Trafalgar) was upgraded to a tertiary facility and designated as the Ho Teaching Hospital to train allied health professionals of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), a health-professional training university established in 2012, while providing tertiary healthcare services.

During a recent visit to the Volta Region by Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, for the regional launch of the government’s FPHC programme, chiefs of the Asogli Traditional Area expressed concern that the Ho Teaching Hospital remained largely a teaching hospital in name, with inadequate infrastructure and equipment to support teaching, research and specialised healthcare delivery.

President Mahama said the situation was about to change, announcing that plans were underway to reactivate funding dedicated to upgrading the hospital’s facilities.

“Years back, we got a Korean EXIM facility to upgrade facilities in the Ho Teaching Hospital. Unfortunately, there was a delay in disbursement, then the debt restructuring occurred. And because of debt restructuring, that facility was never activated.

“I am pleased to announce that we are reactivating that facility so that we can upgrade the facilities in the Ho Teaching Hospital in order that it can be worthy of the name of a teaching hospital,” he said.

President Mahama also highlighted the importance of the Free Primary Healthcare policy, describing it as a key government intervention aimed at advancing universal health coverage by removing financial barriers to essential primary healthcare services while strengthening preventive, promotive and basic curative care.

He stressed the need for the public to adopt healthy lifestyles to prevent non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and cancers, through healthy dietary habits, regular physical exercise and routine medical check-ups.

The President reaffirmed his government’s commitment to investing in healthcare infrastructure and improving access to quality health services across the country. He also encouraged health professionals, particularly nurses, to continue providing compassionate care to patients.

The durbar, attended by key stakeholders in the health sector, featured cultural performances and a drama presentation highlighting the importance and benefits of the Free Primary Healthcare policy.