The University Health Centre has been in existence since 2003, meeting basic health needs of the staff and students. The motto of the Health Centre is based on a common vision shared by the Vice Chancellor and the University Council – A centre of Excellence that is responsive to the comprehensive health needs of our students, staff and the people of Sekondi-Takoradi. This is what the facility aspires to become. Based on this quest for continuous quality improvement in the services provided, the University Council has planned to improve the staffing capacity, infrastructure and expand the coverage of services in terms of geographic coverage, financial access and quality of care.

Currently, the University has engaged the services of a Medical Director to spearhead this process and provide time-sensitive interventions and responses to re-organise the Health Centre into a one-stop health centre that provides timely emergency response, comprehensive outpatient and inpatient services, diagnostic services and other life-saving interventions.

The facility presently has Nurses, Pharmacist, Pharmacy Technicians, Physicians Assistants and Orderlies. There are two security personnel and a driver for emergency response. The staffing continues to obtain further boost as the University continuously reviews staffing norms to engage support staff on locum tenens basis. The University also looks forward to the Ghana Health Service for support with critical staff to support health service delivery.

Presently, the services available are:
– Outpatient department (OPD) services;
– Laboratory;
– Medical examination and screening;
– Ambulance service;
– Pharmacy;
– Counselling; and
– Detention.

The facility is a 10-bed facility, and this hopefully will improve when the ongoing renovation works are completed. This timely intervention will also add on a Radiology Unit, enhanced 24-hour pharmacy services, specialist emergency care and immunization and reproductive healthcare services for our cherished staff and students. This plan will be continuously reviewed until the ultimate goal of an ‘A Centre of Excellence’ is attained.

Key achievement and activities within 2020 include the following:
– There has been the engagement of a permanent Medical Director and a fulltime Physician Assistant. This intervention has led to significant reduction in referral cases to other facilities.
– The University Health Centre together with the University Covid-19 Task Force embarked on a successful educational and orientation for staff and students on preventive measures of Covid-19 on campus.
– Medical examination and screening were done for first year students, and those with special medical needs were scheduled for regular review and appointments.
– As part of this year’s breast cancer awareness campaign, a special breast screening programme was organised with other stakeholders. This was well received by both students and staff, and those who needed further evaluation were subsequently referred.
– As a requirement for all health facilities in Ghana, the University Health Centre was officially registered with the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA).
– The HeFRA registration together with the massive renovation of the Health Centre will enable us to expand the range of services and also run a 24-hour service.