The Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) has opened a Global Health Research Centre to help with the research activities of the hospital.
Similarly, it would help the hospital deliver cutting edge services through research and curtail the long wait associated with sending samples oversees for diagnosis.
The Hospital for the past four years front-lined activities such as training and clinical service delivery but did not have a Research Centre to help with research.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr Abraham Rexford Oduro, Director of Research and Development Division said the lack of the research centre was a dent on the image of the hospital and that it defeated the purpose of which it was built.
“‘Our health is our wealth’ and that any establishment that advances the frontiers of cutting-edge research to inform the practice of disease prevention and control is of immense relevance,” he stated.
Commending the achievements of the Regional Hospital, he said the hospital has over the years served as a major player in providing state-of-the-art service delivery.
He expressed his expectation of seeing the Centre becoming a global centre of excellence and was optimistic that the Research Centre would serve its purpose.
Dr Oduro urged all beneficiaries of the facility to effectively manage and maintain the facility in order to enhance its use and functionality as well as prolong its life span.
He further charged the Hospital to create a new and positive narrative on the bad maintenance culture that has bedeviled the country.
The Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Sronfenyoh also noted that the centre has been designed in a way to expose students and upcoming research scientists to the global standard research environment and with the equipment required.
He mentioned that the research hub provides a good foundation for excellent biomedical research in the country.
On behalf of the management of the Hospital, he pledged their support in managing the facility.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
