ICU Of Tema Maritime Hospital Privatised: Patient Slapped With GH¢317k Bill After Short Admission

The Executive Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has raised concerns over the privatisation of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA)-operated International Maritime Hospital (IMAH), questioning the circumstances under which the facility was handed over to a private entity.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Mr Koomson said the arrangement, which has placed the ICU in the hands of ARES Centre of Excellence, had raised concerns about the affordability of critical healthcare, particularly for workers in the maritime industry and the general public.

He cited the case of his 44-year-old patient who was admitted to the ICU on August 6, 2026 and reportedly incurred daily charges exceeding over GH¢30,000.

According to Mr Koomson, whose son gave up the ghost on August 19, 2026, the total bill had exceeded GH¢300,000 for 12 days of care.

He described the situation as troubling, particularly given that the hospital was established to provide quality healthcare to workers in the maritime industry and the general public.

Mr Koomson further expressed concern that even GPHA staff and their dependants were reportedly affected by the high cost of accessing intensive care at the facility.

He said it was unfortunate that workers of an institution that had invested in the establishment of the hospital could struggle to afford treatment in one of its critical departments.

“It is painful. The hospital was built for us, but we cannot afford the ICU in our own place,” he said.

The GFL Executive Secretary also questioned the process through which the ICU of a publicly owned hospital was carved out and handed over to a private operator.

He called for clarity on the terms of the arrangement, the authority that approved it, the due diligence conducted before the agreement and the benefits accruing to GPHA and the state.

Mr Koomson said the ICU was a critical component of any major hospital and expressed concern that its management had been transferred to a private entity without sufficient transparency and consideration of the public interest.

The International Maritime Hospital was constructed to provide healthcare services to the maritime community and the general public. Construction was completed in 2016, with the facility becoming operational in 2017.

The controversy surrounding the ICU arrangement has raised questions about the extent to which the hospital’s original mandate of providing accessible healthcare is being fulfilled.

When contacted by The Chronicle, the Chief Executive Officer of IMAH, Dr Vitus Anab, confirmed that the ICU was being operated by private interests. He also indicated that the operators were not Ghanaians.

Mr Koomson’s concerns come amid growing questions about the management of critical healthcare infrastructure within publicly owned institutions and the need to ensure that commercial arrangements do not undermine access to essential medical services.

The Chronicle will continue to follow the matter and examine the circumstances surrounding the arrangement, including the terms of the agreement and its implications for GPHA, its workers and the general public.

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