Mahama Blames Poor Maintenance For Loss Of $250m Investment In Hospital Equipment

President John Dramani Mahama has blamed poor maintenance for undermining a $250 million investment in medical equipment made during the administration of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, saying Ghana must adopt a stronger maintenance culture to protect public investments in healthcare.

Speaking at the inauguration of a new Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab) at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra on Thursday, President Mahama recalled that the government, during his tenure as Vice President under President Mills, spent about $250 million to retool major regional and teaching hospitals across the country.

He said the investment provided hospitals with essential medical equipment, including CT scanners, MRI machines, X-ray machines and other diagnostic tools to improve healthcare delivery.

However, the President said many of the machines broke down within a few years because they were not properly maintained, forcing hospitals to once again seek government support to replace equipment.

“It is not a sustainable model,” he said, stressing that Ghana cannot continue to lose critical health infrastructure through neglect.

To address the problem, President Mahama announced that Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited, a subsidiary of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.

According to him, the company will be staffed by specialised biomedical engineers who will oversee the operation, servicing and maintenance of medical equipment in major hospitals across the country.

He said the company will also be responsible for replacing obsolete or irreparable equipment, creating what he described as a more sustainable system for managing the country’s investment in medical infrastructure.

President Mahama expressed confidence that the new arrangement would help ensure that future investments in healthcare equipment are properly managed and maintained, preventing public funds from being wasted as happened in the past.