By Ashiadey Dotse
President John Dramani Mahama has blamed poor maintenance for undermining a 250 million US dollar investment in medical equipment made during the administration of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, warning that Ghana cannot continue to lose valuable health infrastructure through neglect.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra on Thursday, July 9, 2026, President Mahama said the country must adopt a stronger maintenance culture to protect investments in the health sector.
He recalled that while serving as Vice President under the late President Atta Mills, the government invested about 250 million US dollars to retool major regional and teaching hospitals across the country.
According to him, the investment provided hospitals with essential medical equipment, including CT scanners, MRI machines, X-ray machines and other diagnostic tools needed to improve healthcare delivery.
However, he said many of the machines later broke down because they were not properly maintained, forcing hospitals to request new equipment from the government.
“It is not a sustainable model,” the President said, stressing that public institutions must place greater emphasis on preventive maintenance to ensure that national investments deliver long-term benefits.
President Mahama said lessons from the past have informed the government’s new approach to managing medical equipment.
He announced that Cabinet has approved the establishment of Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited, a subsidiary of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, to oversee the use, maintenance and replacement of medical equipment across the country.
The President explained that the new company would be staffed by specialised biomedical engineers responsible for supervising the proper use of equipment, carrying out regular maintenance and replacing machines that are beyond repair.
He said the new system is expected to provide a more sustainable way of managing medical equipment and prevent future investments from being wasted.
President Mahama added that the commissioning of the new Cath Lab at Korle Bu demonstrates the government’s commitment to improving specialised healthcare services, particularly for patients with heart disease and other non-communicable diseases.
He noted that expanding access to advanced medical treatment in Ghana would also reduce the number of patients who travel abroad for specialist healthcare, helping to strengthen the country’s health system.