President John Dramani Mahama has renewed calls for comprehensive reforms in Ghana’s healthcare system, citing the recent medical emergency involving Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.
Speaking at a ceremony welcoming the Vice President back from medical treatment in London, President Mahama emphasized the need to upgrade the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) into a fully functional hospital.
“We have built a quintessential hospital which is the UGMC, but it’s still not at the stage where it can handle some of these cases,” President Mahama stated.
“It is a call to duty — that we should implement it the way Professor Mills had intended it to be so that in future emergencies like this can be handled without us having to fly out…”he added.
The Vice President had fallen ill on March 28, 2025, and was admitted to the UGMC before being flown to the United Kingdom for further treatment.
Her medical situation sparked a national debate on the readiness and capacity of local health facilities to handle high-level emergencies.
President Mahama’s call for healthcare reforms highlights the need for improved healthcare infrastructure in Ghana.
The President believes that with the right investments, the country’s healthcare system can be equipped to handle complex medical cases locally, reducing the need for foreign medical treatment.