Health Minister Commissions $3M Specialist Training Centre

Story by Fada Amakye

Health Minister Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has commissioned a new Specialist Training Centre, describing it as a critical milestone for Ghana’s health sector because of its role in specialist training, professional development, and quality healthcare delivery.

May not have from honor to join you today for the commissioning of the specialist training center here at Panther,” the Minister said. “This is an important milestone for our health sector, not because a new facility has been completed, but because of what this facility represents for specialist training professional development, and quality healthcare delivery in Ghana.

The $3 million facility, constructed under the World Bank’s COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Program, provides modern administrative offices, examination rooms, meeting rooms, conference and support facilities. It was built to support the long-standing aspiration of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council for a dedicated center for specialist training and professional development.

Minister Akandoh expressed appreciation to the World Bank, the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, the Ministry of Health, and his predecessors — Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Hon. Tina Mensah, and Hon. Bernard Okoe-Boye — for contributions that brought the project to completion. He also acknowledged consultants, contractors, and all stakeholders involved.

The COVID-19 pandemic reminded the world that health systems are ultimately only as strong as the people who serve within them, he said. “Infrastructure, equipment, and technology are important, but in moments of emergency, and indeed in routine healthcare delivery, it is the knowledge, skills, and preparedness of professional health professionals that determine the quality of response and the outcomes we achieve.

The Minister noted the facility is part of a larger vision for a comprehensive specialist training complex that will include expanded training halls, conference infrastructure, hostel accommodation, and other support services. The second and third floors remain as core and shell spaces awaiting future development, but adequate land has been secured for expansion.

He linked the investment to growing demand for specialist care as Ghana’s population increases and non-communicable diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease place more pressure on families and the health system.

At the same time, the number of specialists available to serve our population remains inadequate relative to national need,” Akandoh said. “This is why government investment in specialist training is so important. Under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, government is not only seeking to improve access to care for persons with chronic and life-threatening conditions. We are also investing in the specialist capacity required to deliver that care” — including dialysis, cancer care, and cardiovascular services.