Professor Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), has appealed for increased government support to enable the university to expand its infrastructure, recruit more staff and introduce new academic programmes to meet emerging trends in healthcare, research and technology.

She made the appeal during the second session of the university’s 10th Congregation held in Ho on Friday, where a total of 1,097 students graduated from various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Prof Aziato said the university, which began operations in 2012 with only 154 students, had grown significantly over the years and currently runs 23 undergraduates and 25 postgraduate programmes.

Prof Aziato disclosed that the university was preparing to introduce several new programmes from the 2026 and 2027 academic years to strengthen healthcare education and research.

According to her, the new programmes would include MSc, MPhil and PhD programmes in Health Data Science, Chemical Biology, Medical Anthropology, Dietetics and Nutrition, Sonography, Optometry, Environmental and Occupational Health, Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes, and Nursing Leadership and Management.

“The world today is AI-driven, and Health Data Science will help health professionals use data to make predictions, model diseases and support diagnosis,” she stated.

She said although the university received 14,430 applications for the 2024/2025 academic year, it was only able to admit 2,021 regular students due to limited infrastructure and resources.

“We want government to pay attention to UHAS by helping us develop the schools and provide the needed resources so we can train the required human resource for Ghana and beyond,” she appealed.

Prof Aziato revealed that the university currently had a student population of 10,292 with a staff strength of only 879, describing the figure as inadequate for a specialised health institution.

She explained that many staff members were either on study leave, leave of absence, or had migrated abroad following increased global demand for health professionals after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Post-COVID created many opportunities outside the country, and UHAS is not spared. We need support to replace staff we lose because current policies do not permit immediate replacement,” she said.

Responding to the concerns, Mr James Gunu, Volta Regional Minister, assured the university of government’s commitment to addressing its challenges and supporting its development agenda.

He described UHAS as “a vision in motion” and a progressive institution contributing significantly to healthcare delivery and human resource development in Ghana.

Mr Gunu said government was aware of discussions surrounding the establishment of a UHAS Medical Centre and expansion of educational facilities within the university enclave.

“We will take care of all your concerns,” he assured the management of the university.

The congregation formed part of activities marking the university’s 10th Congregation ceremony and attracted government officials, traditional leaders, alumni, parents, guardians, and members of the academic community.