President John Dramani Mahama has directed the immediate demolition of the ageing Gordon-Guggisberg maternity block at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, labeling the structural integrity of the facility a dangerous “death trap” for both patients and healthcare workers.
Speaking on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at the commissioning of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory, the President revealed that the old building had deteriorated beyond repair.
“We will pull down the old Gordon-Guggisberg building that has today become a death trap,” President Mahama stated. “Every other day, our mothers give birth in that building. It is a death trap that can cause devastation.”
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To prevent any disruption to maternal healthcare, the government has launched the procurement process to construct an ultra-modern replacement maternity block. This initiative forms part of a broader national strategy to elevate specialist healthcare delivery and provide safer medical facilities.
The intervention is being driven by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as “Mahama Cares.” According to the President, the fund’s mandate has been expanded after realizing that merely financing treatments was insufficient if the physical infrastructure did not exist to support patients. The trust fund will now actively finance the development of specialist facilities, medical equipment acquisition, and professional healthcare training.
In tandem with these infrastructure upgrades, President Mahama announced that Cabinet has approved the recruitment and training of 500 critical care nurses. The initial phase of this training program is currently underway at Korle Bu and will soon expand to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Furthermore, to address the historic issue of poorly maintained infrastructure, the government has established the Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited.
Acting as a subsidiary of the Trust Fund, this entity will oversee the maintenance and replacement of specialized medical equipment across public hospitals. Reflecting on past retooling errors, Mahama concluded,
“We found out that most of that equipment was not properly maintained… It is not a sustainable model.”
3news