The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has launched its 2026 Customer Service Week with a call on staff to make exceptional patient experience a daily responsibility rather than a duty confined to the Client Services Department.
The event, held last Tuesday was on the theme: “The Extra Mile,” sought to deepen a culture of service excellence across the medical centre while recognising staff whose dedication, compassion and commitment had improved the experiences of patients, families, guests and colleagues.
The week-long programme would provide opportunity for UGMC to reflect on the quality of service delivered to patients, celebrate achievements, recognise exceptional staff and renew its commitment to making every interaction meaningful, particularly for people who often arrived at the medical centre during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
Activities lined up for the celebration include staff recognition and awards, an educational drama, goodwill messages, a staff pop-up, entertainment and a karaoke session, alongside other engagements designed to strengthen teamwork and encourage continuous improvement in customer service.
The launch brought together management, staff and stakeholders in a renewed commitment to ensure that “extra mile” becomes part of the culture of UGMC, with speakers stressing that clinical excellence must be matched by compassion, clear communication, dignity, fairness and ownership of patients’ concerns.
Significance
The Chief Executive Officer of UGMC, Dr Abdul-Samed Tanko, said the event provided an opportunity for the medical centre to reflect on experiences it offered to people who entrusted their health and well-being to the institution.
He said although patients and their families were looking for more than a diagnosis or medical treatment, they also needed reassurance, respect, compassion, clear communication and confidence that they were being cared for adequately.
Dr Tanko particularly emphasised the need for clear communication, identifying it as an area that UGMC needed to improve.
He said a smile, a kind word, a clear explanation, willingness to listen and taking ownership of a patient’s concern could profoundly influence how that person experienced UGMC.
Statistics
The Head of Client Services and Public Relations at UGMC, Barbara Owusu-Hemeng, said between January and September 2026, the Client Services Department had facilitated about 250,000 appointments and received 150,000 OPD visits.
The department had also welcomed almost 2,000 guests at the administrative wing of the centre and registered 130 complaints during the period.
Each interaction, she said, presented an opportunity to demonstrate professionalism, empathy and excellence across every touchpoint of the medical centre.
The President and Head Consultant of the Institute of Customer Service Professionals (ICSP), Yvonne Ohui MacCarthy, said healthcare customer service was not simply a transaction, scripted greeting or protocol, but a lifeline.
She said people who entered UGMC often carried vulnerability, anxiety and fear, and were, therefore, seeking dignity, reassurance and empathy in addition to treatment.
“Clinical expertise heals the body, but going the extra mile heals the human spirit,” Mrs MacCarthy added.
Patient experience
A Technical Assistant at the Office of the Chief of Staff, Dr Chris Wetcher, outlined seven dimensions through which UGMC could strengthen patient experience.
They are accessibility, clarity, speed, dignity, fairness, consistency and outcome.
Dr Wetcher urged UGMC’s board, management, heads of department, unit managers and staff to take ownership of service excellence.
He asked leaders to walk through the hospital and see from the patient’s perspective, measure what they actually experience rather than relying only on reports.
Dr Wetcher, however, said staff who felt safe, seen and cared for were more likely to make patients feel the same way.
