Ho Teaching Hospital Board Seeks Infrastructure Support Solutions

A delegation from the Ho Teaching Hospital Board has engaged the Volta Regional Representative on the Council of State, Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah Atokple, to discuss strategic priorities aimed at improving healthcare service delivery and strengthening institutional partnerships in the Volta Region.

The delegation, led by the Member of Parliament for Ho Central, Hon. Richmond Edem Kofi Kpotosu, used the meeting to highlight key infrastructural and operational challenges confronting the hospital while exploring collaborative approaches to addressing them.

Atokple congratulated the Hospital Board on progress made since assuming office and commended its proactive engagement with stakeholders in advancing the hospital’s mandate. He noted the importance of sustained dialogue and cooperation in strengthening healthcare delivery across the region.

The Board outlined its core priorities, including expansion of hospital infrastructure and continued support for the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS). Members stressed the need to align the hospital’s growth with its role as a teaching and referral facility serving the Volta Region and beyond.

A major concern raised during the engagement was the exclusion of the Korean Priority Project from the most recent national budget. The Board indicated the project is critical to expanding the hospital’s infrastructure capacity and pledged to intensify advocacy efforts to ensure its inclusion in future budgetary considerations.

The delegation drew attention to persistent challenges such as ageing infrastructure and maintenance of outdated medical equipment, which continue placing significant pressure on service delivery and affecting quality of care. To help address these constraints, the Board disclosed plans to seek support from corporate Ghana and private individuals to complement government funding.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Dr. Mbroh, outlined ongoing expansion efforts following the hospital’s elevation to an advanced tertiary health facility. He noted that engagements under the Korean Priority Programme are expected to provide additional infrastructure, although existing facilities remain overstretched and in urgent need of support.

Ho Teaching Hospital, formerly known as Volta Regional Hospital and popularly called Trafalgar, serves as the regional teaching hospital in Ho. The facility was commissioned as a teaching hospital by then Minister of Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu, on April 29, 2019, after undergoing rigorous accreditation by all Health Professional Regulatory Bodies and the Health Facilities Regulatory Authority.

The hospital operates seven directorates working toward its vision of becoming the premium hospital in innovative tertiary health care, medical education and research. The facility serves as the main referral center for the Volta Region and supports clinical training for the University of Health and Allied Sciences.

Since its upgrade to teaching hospital status, the facility has faced mounting pressure from increasing patient volumes, expanding clinical training responsibilities, and infrastructure constraints inherited from its previous configuration as a regional hospital. These challenges have intensified as UHAS medical and allied health programmes continue expanding student enrollment.

The Korean Priority Project represents a significant planned infrastructure investment that hospital leadership views as essential to meeting growing demands. However, its omission from recent budget allocations has created uncertainty about timelines for addressing critical facility gaps.

Atokple assured the delegation of his support and underscored the importance of Public Private Partnerships as a practical and sustainable approach to bridging infrastructure gaps. He reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the Member of Parliament for Ho Central and other relevant stakeholders to advance initiatives aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery and institutional development in the Volta Region.

The Council of State representative has maintained active engagement with healthcare challenges in the region throughout his tenure. In May 2025, Atokple joined Republic Bank Ghana Managing Director Dr. Benjamin Dzoboku on a needs assessment visit to the hospital, where the bank pledged support for addressing basic healthcare needs as part of its regional development commitment.

Republic Bank’s engagement with Ho Teaching Hospital demonstrates the type of corporate partnership that hospital leadership hopes to replicate with other private sector entities. The bank’s Managing Director expressed willingness to develop tailored support addressing specific facility requirements identified during assessment processes.

The hospital’s appeal for expanded private sector involvement reflects broader trends in Ghana’s healthcare sector, where public facilities increasingly seek partnerships to supplement government budgets constrained by competing national priorities. Teaching hospitals face particular pressures given their dual mandates of clinical service delivery and medical education.

Medical equipment maintenance emerged as a specific concern during the Board’s presentation to Atokple. Outdated equipment requires frequent repairs, creates service interruptions, and limits diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Replacement cycles have lagged behind clinical needs, forcing staff to work around equipment limitations that affect patient care quality.

Infrastructure constraints include inadequate ward space, limited specialized treatment facilities, and insufficient clinical training areas for medical students. The hospital must balance patient care demands with educational requirements while operating in facilities not originally designed for teaching hospital volumes and complexity.

The Board emphasized the need to improve operational efficiency while maintaining high standards of healthcare delivery. This balancing act requires strategic investments in both physical infrastructure and operational systems that enhance productivity without compromising care quality or educational outcomes.

Government funding remains essential for core operations, but hospital leadership recognizes that relying solely on budgetary allocations limits capacity to address urgent needs within timelines that prevent further deterioration. Private sector partnerships offer potential for accelerating specific projects while government focuses on baseline operational support.

The meeting between the Hospital Board and Atokple represents part of ongoing advocacy efforts to elevate Ho Teaching Hospital’s infrastructure needs within regional and national priority discussions. Hospital leadership views sustained engagement with political representatives, traditional leaders, and private sector stakeholders as necessary to building support coalitions.

Atokple’s position on the Council of State provides strategic access to national level discussions about regional development priorities. The Council advises the President on matters relating to national governance, offering a channel for regional concerns to reach central decision making processes.

The Volta Region has historically faced infrastructure deficits across multiple sectors including healthcare, requiring persistent advocacy to secure adequate resource allocations. Regional stakeholders view development of robust tertiary healthcare facilities as essential to reducing referrals to facilities in other regions and improving health outcomes for Volta residents.

Ho Teaching Hospital’s challenges mirror broader issues facing teaching hospitals nationwide as they navigate complex mandates spanning patient care, medical education, research, and community service. Sustainable solutions require coordinated approaches involving government commitment, private sector partnership, and institutional efficiency improvements.

The Board’s pledge to intensify advocacy for the Korean Priority Project’s budget inclusion signals determination to pursue multiple pathways toward securing needed infrastructure investments. Whether through national budget allocations, development partner support, or private partnerships, hospital leadership seeks to accelerate facility improvements that have lagged behind service demands.

As Ghana’s healthcare system continues evolving, teaching hospitals occupy critical positions in medical workforce development and advanced care delivery. Their capacity to fulfill these roles depends substantially on infrastructure that supports both clinical excellence and educational quality, making facility investments strategic priorities for national health system strengthening.