President John Dramani Mahama has directed that the ageing Gordon-Guggisberg maternity block at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital be demolished after describing the facility as a "death trap" that poses a risk to mothers and health workers.

He said the government had begun the procurement process for the construction of a new maternity block to replace the old building.

The President made the announcement when he commissioned the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Speaking at the ceremony on Thursday, July 9, 2026, Mr Mahama said the decision to replace the old maternity block formed part of broader efforts to improve specialist healthcare delivery and provide modern facilities for patients.

"We're going through the procurement process to build a new maternity block for the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital," he said.

Mr Mahama said the condition of the Gordon-Guggisberg maternity block had deteriorated to the extent that it had become unsafe for both patients and staff.

"We will pull down the old Gordon-Guggisberg building that has today become a death trap. Every other day, our mothers give birth in that building. It is a death trap that can cause devastation," he stated.

The President explained that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as Mahama Cares, had widened its scope after the government realised that paying for treatment alone would not solve the challenges confronting patients.

"It is not only about financing diagnosis and care. Even when you accepted to finance a patient, there was no facility available in the vicinity where the patient was to be able to be diagnosed and cared for the patient," he said.

He said the Trust Fund would now finance the development of specialist health facilities, the acquisition and maintenance of medical equipment, as well as the training of specialist health professionals, in addition to supporting the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

"It's expanded the mandate of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, not only to fund diagnosis and treatment for patients, but also to provide the facilities for such treatment to take place. And then also to ensure that there are skilled personnel to be able to provide diagnosis and care for these patients," Mr Mahama said.

The President also announced that Cabinet had approved the recruitment and training of 500 critical care nurses. He said the first phase of the training programme had already begun at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and would later be extended to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

Mr Mahama further announced the establishment of Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited, a subsidiary of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, to maintain and replace specialised medical equipment in public health facilities.

He explained that the decision followed lessons from previous investments in medical equipment, much of which became unusable because of poor maintenance.

"We found out that most of that equipment was not properly maintained and had broken down and the hospitals were calling on governments again to do another retooling or replace the equipment. It is not a sustainable model," he said.

Mr Mahama said biomedical engineers would be employed to maintain specialised equipment and replace machines that had become obsolete or could no longer be repaired.

"We believe that this will be a more sustainable model so that the investment the Ghanaian people are putting in will not just go to waste like it has done in the past," he said.

He said the government would continue to invest in health infrastructure to improve specialist healthcare delivery across the country.

"Let history record that this generation chose to invest not only in roads, bridges and buildings, but also in the health, dignity and future of our people," Mr Mahama said.

The President later commissioned the Ghana Medical Trust Fund Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory, which is expected to strengthen Ghana's capacity to diagnose and treat complex cardiovascular and neurovascular conditions while expanding specialist cardiac care at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.