The Korean government has announced a budget allocation of $32 million in aid to Ghana for 2025.

A section of the fund would be injected into the country's health sector through the Korean Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) to provide infrastructure, medical logistics and enhance human resources.

The Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Park Kyongsig, announced this at the commissioning of a model health centre at Abutia Kpota and a biomedical engineering unit in Ho in the Volta Region.

“This year my government's total budget of aid to Ghana is $32 million. A one-third of the budget will go to the healthcare service”, he said.

He hinted at a partnership that would see the expansion of the Ho Teaching Hospital, and stressed his country's continuous support to the development of Ghana.

He expressed hope that the facilities and support being provided by the Korean government would serve as a reminder of Ghana and Korea’s bilateral relations and “friendship”.

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh underscored the significant contribution of Korea towards improving healthcare delivery in the country.

He listed improving maternal healthcare, rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, emergency medical services, strengthening community-based health planning and services, providing biomedical engineering systems, capacity building, and National Health Insurance Policy Cooperation, among others as initiatives of KOFIH.

He underscored the roles of the Biomedical Engineering Project being implemented by KOFIH in the Volta and Greater Accra Regions, which include enhancing clinical engineering, medical equipment management, and getting staff abreast with the latest technologies being deployed in the health sector.

Mr. Mintah added that the Volta Region has been provided One Hundred and Six Thousand, Five Dollars worth of test analyzers and tools aside from the construction of the Biomedical Engineering Unit, stationed in Ho.

“The investment will significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and the overall efficiency of healthcare delivery by ensuring the medical professionals have access to state-of-the-art testing equipment and tools for patient care.

“By proving these resources, the BME Project is not only advancing the technical proficiency of healthcare services in both regions but also contributing to improving healthcare outcomes through better-equipped healthcare systems in Ghana”, he said.

The Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, stressed the importance of achieving universal health coverage in the region.

“Health is wealth, and we believe if our people live a healthy life, if access to healthcare is made to everybody within our region, it is only then that we can develop and productivity will increase,“ he said.