Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) has intensified efforts to deepen collaboration with academia following a working visit to the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery, regulation, research, and professional training in Ghana.
The HeFRA delegation, led by Registrar Dr. Winfred Korletey Baah, visited the university on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, to assess facilities and explore strategic areas of partnership. The engagement brought together senior officials from both institutions, including UHAS management led by Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Frank Edwin.
Central to discussions was the development of UHAS’ simulation centre and its potential to support medical education, clinical training, and health systems research. The facility is expected to play a pivotal role in equipping students and healthcare professionals with practical skills in a controlled, technology-driven environment.
Welcoming the delegation, UHAS Registrar Ms. Yaa Amankwaa Opuni expressed appreciation for the visit and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery through the establishment of a fully operational medical centre on campus. She noted that the facility would serve students, staff, and surrounding communities while providing hands-on clinical training for future health professionals.
Professor Edwin highlighted the university’s continued investment in simulation laboratories and specialised training infrastructure designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice. He underscored the importance of research and data in shaping responsive healthcare systems, adding that collaboration with HeFRA would help generate evidence to inform national policy and improve service delivery.
Dr. Baah commended UHAS for its forward-looking initiatives, particularly the establishment of the proposed medical centre, and assured the university of HeFRA’s support in ensuring full regulatory compliance. He noted that the facility would help ease pressure on existing health institutions within the Volta Region while improving access to quality healthcare services.
He further outlined HeFRA’s interest in forging partnerships with UHAS in key areas including health systems research, data management, healthcare workforce training, and infection prevention and control. According to him, the agency’s extensive annual data collection presents significant opportunities for collaboration with academic researchers to enhance data analysis and utilization for national health planning.
Dr. Baah added that the UHAS Medical Centre has the potential to serve as a centre of excellence for training healthcare professionals in critical areas such as infection prevention, hospital administration, and health information systems.
The visit forms part of HeFRA’s broader stakeholder engagement strategy aimed at strengthening regulatory oversight while fostering institutional partnerships to improve healthcare delivery, education, and research across the country.
Also present at the meeting were Director of Works and Physical Development at UHAS, Arch. Ruth Xorladem Ayittey; Assistant Registrar and Head of Protocol and Passages at the Public Affairs Directorate, Ofoe Gator Kugblenu; other members of university management; and officials from the HeFRA delegation.
