By Celestine Avi and Seth Eyiah
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory (CATLAB) and the broader cardio centre under construction at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, describing the project as critical to improving specialised healthcare in northern Ghana.
During an inspection as part of his #ResettingGhana tour of the Northern Region, the President said the initiative was triggered by a tragic incident involving a medical doctor who required urgent angioplasty but could not access a functioning CATLAB in either Kumasi or Accra.
According to him, the breakdown of facilities in both cities at the time led to delays in treatment, resulting in the doctor’s death. He said this underscored the urgent need to expand access to such life-saving services across the country.
He explained that the initial plan was to procure two CATLABs for Accra and Kumasi, but government took a further step to include Tamale in order to ensure geographical balance and improve emergency response to cardiovascular conditions nationwide.
President Mahama noted that upon delivery of the equipment to Tamale, it became evident that additional infrastructure was required to make the facility fully operational. This led to the decision to construct a full-fledged cardio centre, complete with intensive care units, wards, consulting rooms and other supporting services.
He emphasised that the facility will be the first of its kind across the five northern regions, significantly reducing the need for emergency referrals to southern Ghana. He added that the project will improve survival rates for patients suffering cardiac-related conditions, who previously had limited chances due to delays in accessing specialised care.
The President commended the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, and the Mahama Cares initiative for supporting the project, expressing optimism that the centre will serve not only Ghanaians but also patients from neighbouring countries within the sub-region.
He stressed the importance of developing centres of excellence within teaching hospitals, citing similar specialised units established at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, including cardiothoracic, oncology, and plastic surgery units.
President Mahama further called for the establishment of a cancer treatment centre in Tamale to address the challenges faced by patients who currently travel long distances to Accra or Kumasi for radiotherapy and other specialised treatments.
He expressed confidence that the project will be completed on schedule, noting that all necessary equipment is already available and will be installed once construction is finalised. He added that the facility is expected to be commissioned next year as the first cardiothoracic centre in the Savannah zone.
