Council Chairperson welcomes Government’s decision to transfer UGMC to University of Ghana

Madam Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew, Chairperson, University of Ghana Council, has welcomed the Government’s decision to transfer the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), which is under the Health Ministry to the University of Ghana.

She said the change would fully integrate the Medical Centre into the University’s broader framework for training health professionals, advancing clinical research, and shaping national health policy with the assistance of the Health Minister. 

She noted that the transition was an opportunity to realign the governance and operations of UGMC with academic mission, values, and the intellectual capital of the University.

Madam Brew said this in her remarks at the inauguration of the Transition Management Team of the UGMC by President John Dramani Mahama at the Presidency in Accra.

The Transitional Management Committee is co-chaired by two distinguished Ghanaians, Professor Aaron Lawson, a seasoned academic and former provost of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana, and Professor Mutawakilu Iddrisu, a renowned Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital neurological specialist. 

The Committee is to submit a comprehensive report to the President within three months from date of inauguration.

Madam Brew said after the transition was complete, the UGMC was expected to function not just as a tertiary care facility, but as a dynamic academic medical center anchored in teaching service and innovation. 

“It must be a place where the future medical professional, that’s the next generation, is trained through world experience, where evidence-based research informs clinical practice, and where patients receive care that meets the highest global standards,” she stated.

She reiterated that the UGMC must also be a hub for collaboration; working hand-in-hand with other medical facilities, both public and private, across the country and beyond. 

The Council Chairperson noted that such partnerships would not only strengthen referral systems and improve continuity of care, but also promote knowledge sharing, joint research, and collective responses to national health priorities.

She said through these collaborations, UGMC could play a unifying role in building a stronger, more resilient health system in Ghana. 

She pledged the Council’s full support to the transition process; stating that “We trust that the distinguished individuals, headed by two eminent chairpersons, will guide the process with diligence, integrity, and a deep appreciation of the center’s vital role in the national and regional health banks”.

Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, thanked President Mahama for fulfilling his campaign promise of handing over the UGMC to the University.

She said the University would not take the task lightly.

“This is just the beginning of the process, but as we go through this process, we pledge our full support for the transition team,” she said.

“Whatever support that they need to provide logistics and otherwise, we will do so for the smooth work of the Committee; so that they would be able to deliver within the three months, which you have given to them to work.”

GNA