By: Henrietta Afful
President John Dramani Mahama has renewed calls for comprehensive reforms in Ghana’s healthcare system, following the recent medical emergency involving Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.
Speaking at a brief ceremony to welcome the Vice President upon her return from medical treatment in London, on Thursday, May 22, 2025, President John Mahama emphasized the need to upgrade the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) into a fully functional, round-the-clock hospital to handle any form of emergency.
“…But I think in all this, it raises the issues of us improving our health care so that we can handle emergencies like this. We have built a quintinial hospital which is the UGMC, but it’s still not at the stage where it can handle some of these cases” President Mahama stated. “It is a call to duty — that we should implement it the way Professor Mills had intended it to be so that in future emergences like this can be handled without us having to fly out…” he added.
Background
Professor Opoku-Agyemang reportedly fell ill on Friday, March 28, 2025, and was admitted to UGMC the following day. After receiving initial treatment, she was flown to the United Kingdom for further medical care.
During her absence, President Mahama publicly addressed her condition on several occasions. At the launch of the government’s nationwide sanitary pad distribution initiative on Thursday, April 24, 2025, he assured the public of her steady recovery and expressed optimism about her return.
The Vice President’s medical situation has since sparked national debate over the readiness and capacity of local health facilities to handle high-level emergencies, prompting renewed scrutiny of Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure.
Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has since returned to Ghana, hale and hearty, and ready to resume her official duties.
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