The US Government has broken ground on a new advanced maternal and child centre at the HopeXchange Medical Center in Kumasi, Ghana.

US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, joined Ashanti Regional Minister Simon Osei Mensah to break ground on the new centre.

Through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US has made an investment of $3.5m in the new centre so far.

The centre will feature inpatient and outpatient wards, neonatal and paediatric intensive care units, a labour and delivery suite, and an adolescent clinic.

The HopeXchange Medical Center is a joint initiative involving the US Government, Ghana’s Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and the Christian Health Association of Ghana.

It is also supported by the Catholic Church of Ghana and Italy, the Government and People of Malta, Yale University, HopeXchange Foundation, and NGOs.

The HopeXchange Medical Center provides services to approximately four million people.

Palmer said: “In addition to the support to HopeXchange, every year, the US invests over $12m to improve the health and lives of mothers, babies, and children across the country.

“This investment in quality maternal and antenatal care means healthier mothers and newborns.”

In 2019, the US established a Women's Cancer Center at HopeXchange Ghana, functioning as a central hub for medical training, research, and patient care to tackle public health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

This year, the US provided more than $150m in bilateral assistance to improve health, economic growth and agriculture, education, governance, and security.