Prez Mahama inaugurates UHAS campus
President John Dramani Mahama yesterday officially inaugurated the permanent campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) at a colourful ceremony at Sokode-Lokoe in the Ho Municipality.
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With facilities comprising an administration block, lecture halls, a library, a laboratory, an auditorium, a students’ activity centre and a cafeteria, the main campus will accommodate students of the School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences.
The project, which started two years ago, was funded with a Chinese grant of $17 million and government support of GH¢3.6 million.
President Mahama said the inauguration of the campus was a great achievement because the UHAS started as a budding idea and visionary statement that had resulted in an educational citadel which would enhance the educational agenda of the country.
He observed that the UHAS had, within three years, been able to record many remarkable success stories but said it was still a baby and a national asset that needed to be nurtured for the next 10 years.
Tribute to Professor Mills
Paying tribute to the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills, whose vision led to the establishment of the university, President Mahama recalled that some people had described the project as a hoax and political gimmick.
The President, who expressed joy that the vision had materialised said, “The people and the government of Ghana are, indeed, forever indebted to this great man (Prof. Mills) for conceiving the vision and taking concrete steps to make it a reality today.”
He said the university was established to train medical doctors, nurses and other health professionals to take care of the nation’s health conditions and facilitate quality healthcare delivery.
“Our desire is to empower future generations to achieve great heights in the quest for academic achievement and excellence in order to facilitate the transformation of Ghana,” he said.
President Mahama thanked the government of China for seeing the project to its completion, noting that the bond between the two countries had been further strengthened by what he described as a great achievement.
He announced that he had directed the Ministry of Health to convert the Volta Regional Hospital into a teaching hospital, adding that steps were being taken to upgrade the facilities for that purpose.
On the payment of compensation to the landowners, he said arrangements were being made to settle their claims and, therefore, called for restraint.
Future of UHAS
The Minister for Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, said the educational sector had seen improvement in infrastructure.
On the UHAS, she said in the 2015 fiscal year, the government made an allocation of GH¢12 million from the GetFund for the completion of the Medical School Laboratory Complex of the university.
“Our strategy for the UHAS for the next few years should be geared towards the capacity building of staff and the judicious expansion of all the colleges towards realising the full dream,” she said.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Fred Newton Binka, said the university, with five schools, was growing steadily and had a population of 1,110 continuing students, 934 newly enrolled students, as well as 318 faculty administrative staff.
He commended the Chinese contractors, the China Yanjian Group Company, for a wonderful job done.
The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Sun Baohong, said the education of the people was a priority in the bilateral relationship between the two countries and that China would provide furniture to improve the hardware of the university.