Ho Teaching Hospital poised to become a medical tourism hub

The management of Ho Teaching Hospital in the Volta Region aims to become a medical tourism hub in Ghana.

At the 2024 Performance Annual Review Meeting, Chief Executive Dr. John Tampuori shared this vision. The meeting was themed, "Focusing on Stakeholder Participation in Innovative Tertiary Healthcare for Medical Tourism."

Dr. Tampuori acknowledged challenges such as increasing patient load and overcrowded wards. He noted that more patients are seeking care for various health issues.

This surge has led to a shortage of beds and higher mortality rates. In 2024, the hospital had 1,590 staff members, up from 1,532 in 2023. However, clinical staff from the University of Health and Allied Sciences were not included in these numbers.

Despite hiring more staff, attrition increased from 63 in 2023 to 83 in 2024. Dr. Tampuori emphasized efforts to retain and attract talent for innovative healthcare delivery.

The Outpatient Department (OPD) saw an increase from 211,104 visits in 2023 to 212,129 in 2024. This reflects growing community trust in the hospital's services.

Total admissions decreased from 11,769 in 2023 to 10,936 in 2024. Bed occupancy rates rose significantly from 68.9% to 73.5%. The average length of stay remained at six days.

In total, there were 2,518 surgeries performed in 2024, down slightly from 2,571 the previous year. Maternal deaths increased from 18 to 20 between these years.

This represents a rate of about 1,170 per 100,000 live births. Live births also dropped from 1,799 to 1,550 during this period. However, neonatal deaths decreased from 63 to 55.

This translates to a rate of about 833 per thousand live births. Dr. Tampuori reaffirmed the hospital's commitment to improving maternal and neonatal healthcare services.

Ho Teaching Hospital improved its diagnostic services significantly over the past year. Radiology procedures rose from 19,622 to over 20,050; ultrasound procedures increased from 6,799 to 8,041; laboratory procedures grew from 124,596 to 128,635.

Dr. Tampuori highlighted strategic collaborations with local and international healthcare organizations aimed at enhancing service quality.

He reported an increase in total hospital deaths—from 1,002 in 2023 to 1,010 in 2024—raising the mortality rate from 8.6% to 9.4%. He assured that HTH is committed to addressing this trend through continuous improvement.

"We have forged strategic collaborations with esteemed healthcare institutions," he said about their partnerships aimed at enhancing healthcare services.

Mr Kafui Kanyi is the Medical Tourism Coordinator at Ho Teaching Hospital (Trafalgar). He stated that developing medical tourism could create jobs across various sectors like healthcare and transportation.

He urged the Ministry of Tourism to develop health tourism as a specialized sector similar to eco-tourism for attracting international patients.

Kanyi also called on the Ministry of Health for support by empowering hospitals with international accreditation and introducing medical travel policies for competitiveness.

Volta Regional Minister James Gunu praised HTH’s management and staff for their dedication and achievements like completing new facilities including a CT scan center.

He assured them of government support for delivering specialized services outlined in the upcoming budget upgrade plan for HTH into a comprehensive specialist hospital.

Gunu mentioned plans for a proposed expansion project pending government approval which would add another five hundred beds—showing ambition toward world-class medical services at HTH.

"Healthcare is a collective responsibility," he concluded while emphasizing collaboration among stakeholders for strengthening Ghana's healthcare system.