A New Maternity Ward For Korle Bu? Long Overdue
There are moments in public leadership that deserve genuine commendation, regardless of political affiliation. The commissioning of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is one of those moments. It represents an important investment in specialist healthcare and restores a critical service that Ghana could ill afford to lose after the previous facility was destroyed by fire. It is the kind of intervention that saves lives, strengthens confidence in our health system and reminds Ghanaians that public investment in healthcare is never misplaced.
Equally commendable was President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement that government has commenced procurement processes for the construction of a new maternity block to replace the ageing Gordon Guggisberg building. The announcement is both timely and necessary. The existing structure has, over the years, lost much of its structural integrity and is reportedly riddled with numerous structural failures that pose risks to patients, healthcare workers and visitors alike.
A facility intended to bring life into the world should never become a source of fear. Sadly, what was built to preserve life has, by all accounts, become a death trap rather than a death-prohibitor. If the country is finally moving towards replacing it, then that decision deserves broad national support. But good leadership should also welcome honest questions.
The first is perhaps the most obvious. When?
Procurement is an important first step, but it is not the same as construction. Ghanaians have witnessed too many projects announced with great optimism, only for timelines to stretch indefinitely while the very conditions that prompted the announcement continue to endanger lives. Mothers continue to deliver babies in the existing facility every single day. If the building has been publicly described as unsafe, then every day spent waiting raises understandable concerns.
Closely linked to that question is another that deserves equal attention. What happens between now and the completion of the new maternity block?
If, as many would reasonably assume, the new maternity block is to be constructed on or around the site currently occupied by the Gordon Guggisberg building, then the transition raises several practical questions that cannot be ignored.
If the existing building is indeed a danger to patients and staff, what interim measures will be put in place to guarantee uninterrupted and safe maternity services? Will temporary facilities be established? Will departments be relocated? How will patient care be maintained during demolition and construction?
These are not criticisms. They are practical questions that deserve clear answers. Yet perhaps the bigger conversation is one that extends beyond the maternity block itself.
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is Ghana’s premier referral hospital. Every day, it receives patients from every region of the country. It is where the most complex medical cases are referred when district and regional hospitals have exhausted their capacity. It trains doctors, specialists, nurses and other healthcare professionals who serve across the country. In many respects, Korle Bu is not simply another hospital.
It is the backbone of Ghana’s healthcare system. That is precisely why the conversation cannot end with one building.
Anyone who has spent time walking through parts of the hospital knows that the ageing infrastructure extends beyond the maternity ward. Several clinical areas, including sections of the surgical, medical and emergency departments, continue to operate in facilities that require significant refurbishment and modernisation. While dedicated healthcare professionals continue to provide remarkable care under difficult circumstances, there is only so much commitment can achieve when infrastructure struggles to keep pace with demand.
Healthcare infrastructure should not be renewed one crisis at a time. It should be guided by a comprehensive long-term plan that identifies priority areas, phases redevelopment responsibly and ensures that no department deteriorates to the point where replacement becomes an emergency rather than a planned investment.
This is not merely about buildings. It is about dignity. Patients deserve environments that inspire confidence rather than anxiety. Healthcare workers deserve facilities that allow them to practise medicine safely and efficiently. Families already burdened by illness should not have to worry whether the condition of the hospital itself presents an additional risk.
The President has taken an important and commendable step. Now the country needs clarity on timelines, transition arrangements and the broader vision for Korle Bu’s redevelopment.
Replacing one unsafe building is progress. Ensuring that Ghana’s premier teaching hospital receives the sustained investment it deserves is transformation.
Korle Bu has served generations of Ghanaians through epidemics, emergencies, national crises and ordinary days alike. It has carried a responsibility few institutions in this country can match.
Perhaps it is time that we match that commitment with an equally unwavering commitment to the institution itself.
Korle Bu is simply too important to Ghana’s healthcare delivery system to receive attention only when a building has deteriorated beyond safe use. It deserves continuous investment, strategic renewal and a national commitment that extends far beyond announcements.
The President has made a commendable commitment. The challenge now is to ensure that it is matched by urgency. Ghanaians will not judge this initiative solely by the announcement or the procurement process. They will judge it by the speed with which construction begins, the quality of the facility delivered, and the certainty that mothers and healthcare workers will no longer be required to occupy a building that has outlived its useful life.
For the thousands of women who depend on Korle Bu each year, timely delivery is not merely a matter of infrastructure. It is a matter of safety, dignity and life itself.
By: Baaba Hayfron
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