Maltese Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Dr Ian Borg, has inaugurated an electronic medical laboratory (E-Learning) centre for the HopeXchange Medical Center at Santasi-Apre in the Kumasi metropolis.

The facility which was constructed with financial support from the Maltese government would help advance engagement of health officials, students and clients of the hospital across the world.

It would also be used as a centre of health conferencing and education for partners of the Catholic health facility in the diaspora.

The Minister also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the management of the hospital to help create opportunities for staff of the hospital to work closely with counterparts and partners in Malta to deliver quality healthcare services to the people.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Ian Borg said in line with Malta’s health strategy, the country had since 2013, provided support to several countries, including Ghana, to advance quality healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic, according to him, should be a testimony for nations to prepare adequately to solve emerging health challenges, adding that, promoting access to quality healthcare and strengthening health systems were key to promoting socio-economic progress in Ghana.

Dr Borg expressed satisfaction at the services HopeXchange was rendering to the people and urged them to maintain higher standards in healthcare delivery.

Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Akosua Amoateng Frimpomaa, said the government and the people of Malta had continued to provide financial, logistical and medical support to the hospital.

She said the inauguration of the E-learning laboratory would help complement the excellent services the hospital was providing to the people.

“We are able to strive for excellence in delivery of healthcare because of the strong support from partners, and we will continue to deliver world-class healthcare to people in Kumasi and its environs,” she stated.

Dr Frimpomaa hinted that the hospital had also received a grant from USAID to build a separate maternal and child health block, which would have state-of-the-art facilities to expand maternal and child healthcare delivery.

The Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Health, Dr Micah Asare Bediako, commended the Catholic Health Services for providing three of the district hospitals in the region.

He used the occasion to urge the management of the hospital to expedite actions on the proposed maternal and child health block to help support the delivery of maternal and child health services in the region.