Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has announced plans to install six new dialysis machines at the Upper West Regional Hospital as part of efforts to improve specialist healthcare in the region.
The Speaker said the intervention is being undertaken through the joint efforts of himself and the Upper West Caucus in Parliament.
He made the announcement on Saturday while delivering the keynote address at the 2nd Congregation of the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), which also featured the School of Law’s second congregation and a special graduation ceremony for the School of Graduate Studies in Wa.
Beyond the dialysis initiative, Mr. Bagbin disclosed that plans are underway to upgrade the Upper West Regional Hospital into a teaching hospital to support the establishment of a Medical School at UBIDS.
According to him, the university is pursuing a partnership with the Medical University of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates to facilitate the introduction of Medicine as a programme of study.
The Speaker said the proposed medical school and teaching hospital would significantly strengthen healthcare delivery and medical training in the Upper West Region.
During his address, Mr. Bagbin praised UBIDS for its resilience and steady growth despite infrastructural challenges, describing the institution as “a tremendous blessing” to the region and the country.
Recalling his long association with the university, he acknowledged constraints including inadequate lecture facilities and accommodation but expressed confidence that ongoing government interventions to complete stalled projects would transform the campus within the next two years.
Mr. Bagbin also donated a collection of law books to the university’s Faculty of Law and pledged to engage the institution’s Governing Council on additional support.
He further highlighted the passage of the Legal Education Reform Act, 2026 (Act 1170), which ends the Ghana School of Law’s monopoly over professional legal training by allowing accredited universities to offer a one-year Bar Practice Programme.
Throwing his support behind UBIDS’ bid for accreditation, the Speaker said, “I cast my vote for UBIDS. It is, after all, the premier Law School in the North.”
Addressing the graduating students, Mr. Bagbin urged them to uphold discipline, resilience and ethical leadership, encouraging them to apply their knowledge to advance their communities and the nation.
“Tough times do not last. Tough institutions do,” he said, adding, “UBIDS, you will rise and shine and shine.”
Source: www.kumasimail.com
