Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has described the newly commissioned Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as a major step in strengthening Ghana’s capacity to treat heart disease, stroke and other life-threatening conditions locally.

Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, the Minister said the new laboratory represents more than the installation of specialised equipment.

According to him, it marks a broader effort to reorganise Ghana’s health system to respond to the growing burden of cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases with timely diagnosis, specialised treatment and sustainable financing.

“For the Ministry of Health, today is important because it marks the translation of policy into service delivery,” Mr Akandoh said.

“It is one thing to recognise the growing burden of cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases. It is another thing to put in place the infrastructure, equipment, financing arrangement, and clinical capacity required to respond to that burden in a meaningful and sustainable way.”

The Minister said the new cardiac catheterisation laboratory should be seen as an investment in Ghana’s ability to provide timely, specialised and life-saving care to patients who in the past may have faced long waiting times, expensive referrals or limited treatment options.

“This facility therefore represents more than an investment in a catheterisation laboratory. It represents an investment in the ability of our health system to offer timely, specialised and life-saving interventions to patients who, in the past, may have faced long delays, expensive referrals or limited treatment options,” he said.

He explained that the burden of cardiovascular disease is becoming increasingly visible across the country’s hospitals, clinics and communities, with conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease now forming part of the daily reality of healthcare delivery in Ghana.

“Hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and other chronic conditions are no longer distant or occasional health concerns,” he said.

“They are now part of the daily reality of health delivery in Ghana, affecting people in their productive years, placing pressure on families and imposing increasing demands on our health facilities.”

Mr Akandoh said the changing disease burden means Ghana can no longer rely only on traditional healthcare models and must instead build a system that combines prevention, early detection and advanced specialist treatment.

“At the primary level, we must strengthen prevention, screening, early detection, health education and continuity of care,” he said.

“At the specialist level, we must improve access to advanced diagnostics, modern equipment, trained personnel and timely interventions. And this is exactly what we are doing.”

He linked the new facility to the government’s broader health financing and care strategy, saying it represents a practical connection between the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as Mahama Care.

“The cath lab is therefore a practical example of the new direction of healthcare delivery,” he said.

According to him, the project reflects an understanding that financial support on its own is not enough if the services patients need are not available, and that equipment alone cannot solve the problem without trained professionals, maintenance systems, and sustainable funding.

“It recognises that financial support alone is not enough if the service is not available,” he said.

“It also recognises that equipment alone is not enough if the system does not have trained professionals, proper maintenance arrangements, referral pathways and sustainable financing to keep the service running.”

The Health Minister said the facility will significantly strengthen the capacity of the National Cardiothoracic Centre to provide advanced diagnostics and interventional services.

He listed some of the services expected to be provided at the centre as cardiac catheterisation, peripheral vascular procedures, and neurovascular interventions.

“With this facility, the National Cardiothoracic Centre will be better positioned to provide advanced diagnostics and interventional cardiovascular services, including cardiac catheterisation, peripheral vascular procedures and neurovascular interventions,” he said.

He said these services would improve the treatment of heart disease, vascular conditions and acute stroke, while also reducing the number of patients who may need to travel outside Ghana for care.

“These services will improve the management of heart disease, vascular conditions and acute stroke, while reducing the need for some patients to seek care outside Ghana,” he said.

Mr Akandoh said that the speed of treatment is crucial in cases involving stroke and acute cardiovascular disease, where delays can mean the difference between life and death, or between recovery and long-term disability.

“The importance of timely intervention cannot be overstated,” he said.

“In conditions such as stroke and acute cardiovascular disease, time can determine whether a patient survives, whether disability is prevented, and whether a family is spared the social and economic consequences of illness and its catastrophic costs.”

He said that for that reason, the Ministry of Health is focused not only on commissioning the facility but also on making sure it is fully integrated into the wider health system so patients can be identified and referred early.

“We must ensure that this lab is properly integrated into the wider referral system, that patients are identified and referred early, that clinicians are supported to provide safe and quality care, and that the equipment is maintained to the highest standard,” he said.

Mr Akandoh also used the occasion to stress that specialist health infrastructure must go hand in hand with specialist training if the country is to build a durable system for advanced care.

“We must also ensure that this facility becomes a platform for capacity building. Specialist infrastructure must go hand in hand with specialist training,” he said.

He said the Ministry would continue to work with the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, and other institutions to train the specialists needed to sustain advanced cardiovascular care.

“The ministry will therefore continue to work through the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, Mahama Care, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, and other relevant institutions to strengthen the training of specialist doctors, nurses, biomedical engineers, technicians and allied professionals required to support advanced cardiovascular services,” he said.

On sustainability, the Minister warned that a modern catheterisation laboratory requires much more than a successful launch.

“A modern catheterisation laboratory requires more than commissioning day excitement. It requires disciplined management, proper maintenance planning, reliable consumables, trained biomedical support, efficient scheduling, and clear clinical governance.”

He urged the management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the National Cardiothoracic Centre to run the facility with high standards of accountability, patient safety, and efficiency.

“I therefore urge the management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the National Cardiothoracic Centre to operate this facility with the highest standards of accountability, patient safety and efficiency,” he said.

“Our objective must be to ensure that a patient does not experience these institutions as separate offices, but as one coordinated health system working in his or her interest,” he added.