President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated a nine-member transitional management committee with a three-month mandate to oversee the transfer of the University of Ghana Medical Center from the Ministry of Health to the University of Ghana.
Members of the committee are: Prof. Aaron Lawson, Prof. Mutawakilu Iddrisu, Prof. Yvonne Dei Adomako, Prof. Yao Kwakumey, Dr. Abdul Basit Bamba, Prof. Titus Beyuo, Prof. Samuel Kaba Akuriyea, Matilda Awuah Azumah and Desmomd Kwame Boateng
The committee, co-chaired by Professor Aaron Lawson and Professor Mutawakilu Iddrisu, was tasked with submitting a comprehensive report within three months to guide the institutional integration process.
“This committee must work urgently and with a sense of historic responsibility,” Mahama told the committee members during the inauguration ceremony, emphasizing the tight timeline for completing their assignment.
The nine-member committee will conduct a comprehensive review of the legal mandates, operational structures, and academic frameworks of both UGMC and the University of Ghana Medical School to facilitate the seamless transfer.
Professor Lawson, a former provost of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana, brings extensive academic and institutional management experience to the co-chairmanship.
His counterpart, Professor Mutaukelu Idrisu, is a renowned neurological specialist from Korle bu Teaching Hospital.
The committee faces a demanding three-month schedule to develop integration guidelines ensuring coherence between UGMC’s clinical mandates and the university’s teaching and research mandates.
They must also design a practical roadmap with clear timelines and communication plans for stakeholders.
Among the committee’s responsibilities is facilitating all legal and administrative processes necessary for the transfer while identifying potential challenges in funding, staffing, and resource allocation. The committee will propose sustainable solutions to these challenges.
The nine-member team will establish a transition secretariat to provide operational and logistical support during the integration period.
They are also tasked with reviewing expressions of interest for partnerships by international healthcare institutions.
The transfer represents a strategic realignment to promote synergy between clinical service delivery, teaching, and research.
The integration aims to enhance institutional efficiency through harmonized leadership and resource management while encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration.
UGMC currently operates as a world-class medical institution under the Ministry of Health, hosting the largest digitized medical simulation and training center in West Africa.
The facility demonstrated its capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, treating over 700 active COVID cases and supporting more than 4,000 Ghanaians through its digital platform.
The medical center’s construction began in April 2013 under Mahama’s presidency, following funding secured by the late President John Evans Atta-Mills from the Government of Israel.
The current administration completed Phase 2 of the facility, demonstrating bipartisan commitment to the project.
The integration forms part of a broader vision to create a comprehensive medical village on the University of Ghana campus, a concept dating back to the medical school’s establishment in 1964. The original planners set aside approximately 400 acres for this medical village development.
“You’re laying the foundation for a legacy of healthcare and medical education excellence. You’re building a bridge between the past and the future,” Mahama told the committee members.
The President emphasized that the committee has full government support and urged all stakeholders to collaborate with transparency and commitment to ensure successful completion of the three-month assignment.
The transition aims to create a truly world-class teaching hospital serving Ghana and the wider West African sub-region, positioning the facility as a hub for medical innovation, training, and research excellence.
