The 500-bed Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) is awaiting cabinet approval to commence work on an additional 500-bed project.

The project is part of efforts to position the hospital as the medical tourism hub in the country, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr John Tampuori, said at the 2024 annual performance review meeting of the hospital last Thursday.

The meeting was on the theme: Focusing on stakeholder engagement for innovative tertiary health care towards medical/health tourism.

“We partnered with the Yonsei University Industry Consortium from South Korea to undertake feasibility studies for the construction of the facility, and a report has been produced, and copies of the report have been sent to the ministries of Health and Finance, awaiting cabinet approval,” Dr Tampuori added.

Medical tourism involves travelling abroad and within one’s country to obtain medical treatment.

Meanwhile, Dr Tampuori said one of the remarkable achievements of the HTH last year was the inauguration of the HTH Annex, a CT scan centre, new consulting rooms for the psychological medicine unit, a family health centre, and a new pharmacy centre.

Those projects are all geared towards improving the quality of health care at the hospital, the CEO explained.

Dr Tampuori maintained that HTH attached great importance to the training and development of its staff, adding that ongoing capacity-building initiatives had honed their skills, leading to enhanced service delivery, increased patient satisfaction and reduced waiting time.

He affirmed the hospital’s stance to contribute to the development of patient-centred, innovative tertiary healthcare solutions that cater to the needs of medical tourists by leveraging the power of participatory decision-making and co-creation among healthcare providers, patients and industry experts.

Staff strength

Touching on staff strength, Dr Tampuori said it increased from 1,532 in 2023 to 1,590 in 2024, excluding the staff from the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) who were also involved in service delivery.

“Furthermore, we have witnessed a substantial surge in the number of house officers and clinical staff from the university, reflecting the strengthening partnership between UHAS and the HTH,” the CEO said.

Dr Tampuori said the outpatients’ department attendance had also increased considerably, from 211,104 in 2023 to 212,129 in 2024, “reflecting the growing trust and confidence our community has in our services.”

However, he said the total admissions had reduced to 10,936 in 2024 from 11,769 in 2023.

The meeting was graced by the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, who commended HTH for its compassionate and dedicated services to patients and strong resolve to expand its facilities in the interest of the public.