President John Mahama has announced plans for the construction of a new maternity block at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, describing the current facility as unsafe and unsuitable for expectant mothers.

The President said the government has begun the procurement process for the project and will replace the old Gordon Guggisberg Building, which he described as a danger to patients and health workers.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, President Mahama said improving healthcare infrastructure remains a key priority of his administration.

“Let me also announce that we are going through the procurement process to build a new maternity block for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital,” he said.

He added that the old maternity facility would be pulled down because of its deteriorating condition.

“And we will pull down the old Gordon Guggisberg building that has today become a death trap; every other day our mothers give birth in that building. It is a death trap that can cause devastation,” President Mahama said.

The President said the decision reflects a broader commitment by his government to invest in infrastructure that protects lives and improves the dignity of Ghanaians.

He said national development should not only be measured by investments in roads, bridges, and other physical projects, but also by improvements in healthcare delivery and the well-being of citizens.

“And so let history record that this generation chose to invest not only in roads, bridges and buildings, but also in the health, dignity and future of our people,” he said.

President Mahama said the true impact of projects such as the newly commissioned cardiac catheterisation laboratory would not be judged only by the technology and equipment available, but by the lives saved and the support provided to families.

“The true significance of this facility will be measured not by the sophistication of the equipment, but by the countless lives it will save, by the families it will keep together and by the hope it will restore to a grateful nation,” he said.