President John Dramani Mahama has expressed satisfaction with progress on the construction of a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (CATLAB) at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, describing it as a critical intervention to improve specialized healthcare delivery in northern Ghana.
Speaking during an inspection of the project, the President revealed that the initiative was triggered by the tragic death of a medical doctor in Kumasi, who was unable to access timely CATLAB services.
According to him, the CATLAB facility in Kumasi had broken down at the time, while the one in Accra was also out of service following a fire incident, leaving the patient without urgent care.
“Unfortunately, he died. That incident made it clear that we needed more of these facilities across the country,” the President stated.
He explained that government initially planned to procure two CATLABs for Accra and Kumasi, but later decided to include Tamale to ensure equitable access to critical cardiac services across the country.
However, upon arrival of the equipment in Tamale, it became evident that additional infrastructure-including intensive care units (ICU), wards, and consulting rooms-would be required to make the facility fully operational. This led to the decision to construct a full cardiothoracic centre to support the CATLAB.
President Mahama emphasized that the project will be the first of its kind in northern Ghana, significantly reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for specialized cardiac care.
“In the past, patients had to be stabilized and referred to Accra or Kumasi. Those who survive, survive; those who don’t, don’t. This facility will give people in the north a real chance at survival,” he noted.
The President added that the centre is expected to serve not only Ghana but also neighboring countries, including Burkina Faso, due to the absence of similar facilities in the sub-region.
He commended the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund also known as the Mahama Care initiative-for supporting the project.
President Mahama further highlighted the importance of establishing centres of excellence within teaching hospitals, referencing previous investments in specialized units such as cardiothoracic, oncology, and plastic surgery facilities at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Looking ahead, he called for the establishment of a cancer treatment centre in Tamale to address the challenges faced by patients who currently travel to southern Ghana for radiotherapy and other specialized treatments.
“We must begin to look at a cancer centre here in Tamale so patients do not have to travel all the way to the south,” he urged.
President Mahama expressed confidence that the
CATLAB project will be completed soon, noting that all necessary equipment has already been procured and will be installed once construction is finalized.
He indicated that the facility could be ready for commissioning by next year, marking a major milestone in healthcare delivery for northern Ghana.
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