The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, has commissioned a new Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab) at the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCTC) of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The commissioning follows the destruction of the Centre's previous Cath Lab by fire in March 2025, which disrupted critical cardiac services. Rebuilt through the support of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (Mahama Cares), the new facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art Siemens Biplane imaging system that will significantly enhance the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart diseases, complex vascular conditions and selected neurovascular emergencies.
In his address, President Mahama described the facility as part of a broader national strategy to strengthen Ghana's response to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). He explained that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund has evolved beyond financing patient care to supporting specialist infrastructure, medical equipment, research and human resource development.
The President announced that Government has committed GH¢2.3 billion to the expanded mandate of the Trust Fund and disclosed plans to establish the Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited to ensure the preventive maintenance and lifecycle management of specialised medical equipment across the country.
He also announced the training of specialised nurses in critical care disciplines, including cardiovascular care, nephrology and oncology, with Cabinet approving the recruitment and training of 500 specialised nurses to support non-communicable disease services nationwide.
The Minister for Health, Honourable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, described the commissioning as the practical translation of government policy into quality healthcare delivery. He noted that the facility will improve access to timely diagnosis and specialised interventions for cardiovascular diseases, stroke and other chronic conditions while reducing the need for patients to seek treatment abroad.
He stressed that specialised healthcare requires more than sophisticated equipment, emphasising the importance of trained professionals, sustainable financing, effective maintenance systems and strong collaboration among the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and other stakeholders to ensure the long-term success of the facility.
Chief Executive of KBTH, Dr. Yakubu Seidu Adam, described the commissioning as a landmark moment in the Hospital's history and a major investment in hope, healing and life.
"The Ghana Medical Trust Fund has been a true game changer for beneficiary patients and public sector hospitals across the country. Its interventions have been timely and strategic, with many patients already benefiting from life-saving support here at Korle Bu," he said.
Dr. Adam revealed that, beyond the newly commissioned Cath Lab, the Trust Fund is in the process of procuring additional specialised equipment for the Hospital, including a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, Linear Accelerator, Computed Tomography (CT) scanner and Mammography machine. These investments, he noted, will significantly strengthen diagnostic and treatment services at Korle Bu.
Director of the National Cardiothoracic Center Dr. Kow Entsua Mensah thanked the President, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, the leadership of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and all partners whose collective efforts made the reconstruction possible.
He noted that since its establishment in 1989, the National Cardiothoracic Centre had become one of West Africa's leading centres for cardiovascular care, performing approximately 600 cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeries annually while recording over 12,000 outpatient visits each year.
Dr. Mensah disclosed that the previous Cath Lab, commissioned in 2017, facilitated more than 1,500 successful catheterisation procedures before it was destroyed by fire. He assured Government that the Centre would maintain the new facility to the highest standards while continuing to deliver quality clinical care, research and specialist training.
Administrator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Madam Obuobia Darko-Opoku, described the reconstructed Cath Lab as a symbol of Ghana's resilience and commitment to protecting lives. She explained that the project was designed not simply to replace what had been lost but to deliver a technologically superior facility with expanded capacity to meet present and future healthcare needs.
She announced that the new laboratory will immediately support a landmark national programme undertaken in partnership with the National Cardiothoracic Centre, specialist cardiologists from Mount Sinai Hospital in the United States, the Mount Sinai Foundation and Africa World Airlines, to provide complex cardiac implantable electronic device procedures for an initial 30 patients selected from across Ghana.
Patients from northern Ghana will be transported to Accra through the support of Africa World Airlines, demonstrating a coordinated national effort to ensure equitable access to specialised cardiac care.
The new Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory is expected to significantly strengthen Ghana's capacity to provide advanced cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment, support specialist training and research, and improve access to timely, high-quality cardiac care for patients across the country.
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