Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has inaugurated the multi-million-dollar KGL Eve Medical Centre in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.

Located on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the fully furnished facility is designed to provide comprehensive wellness and mental health services for women.

The first phase of the centre includes consulting rooms for psychiatric services, therapy and counselling units, in-patient wards, diagnostic and pharmacy units, rehabilitation spaces, and administrative offices.

The foundation has also pledged to finance the completion of the second and third phases by 2027.

The centre will serve people across nine regions: Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Northern, North-East, Upper East, Upper West, and Savannah.

Speaking at the inauguration, Prof Opoku-Agyemang described the facility as a practical response to the increasing demand for integrated medical and mental health services in Ghana.

She noted that global and national healthcare landscapes were evolving, shaped by pandemics, digital medicine, ethical dilemmas, and expanding populations and reaffirmed government’s commitment to prioritising healthcare.

“We are strengthening primary health care, expanding National Health Insurance Scheme coverage, modernising facilities, and increasing training and access to mental health and wellness services,” she said.

The Vice President emphasised that government alone could not meet every healthcare need, stressing the importance of partnerships with private sector actors, foundations, and institutions that share the vision of a healthier Ghana.

Prof Opoku-Agyemang highlighted the need for accessible, stigma-free services to address medical and mental health challenges faced by children, mothers, working adults, and retirees.

She explained that the centre would expand care options in the region, reduce delays, ease pressure on existing facilities, and contribute to research and training through collaboration with KNUST.

Elliot Dadey, CEO of the KGL Foundation, said the centre was built to end the unacceptable reality where 10 per cent of Ghanaians suffer silently while only two per cent receive care.

“This project represents a significant shift in our history, a Ghana where mental health is not a privilege of wealth or geography, but a right protected with the same seriousness as any other form of healthcare,” he stated.

Alex Apau Dadey, Chairman of KGL Group of Companies, added that for decades, access to mental health care had been limited by geography, forcing patients to travel long distances for treatment. He stressed that mental health is a public health necessity, not a luxury.

“The centre has been designed as a modern, dignified environment focused on healing, hope, and human dignity not confinement,” he said.

Lady Julia Osei Tutu described the inauguration as the beginning of a new chapter in compassionate healthcare and advocacy for mental wellness.

She noted that many women suffer silently from anxiety, postpartum challenges, childhood behavioural issues, stress-related complications, and emotional trauma. The centre, she said, was built on accessibility, dignity, and holistic care.

She paid tribute to the KGL Foundation for fully funding the project, emphasising that it would bridge the gap between academia and healthcare, and provide early diagnosis, treatment, and preventive care for the wider community.

Dr Eugene Kobla Dordoye, CEO of the Mental Health Authority, expressed concern about the wide gap between those needing mental health care and those who actually receive it, underscoring the importance of the new facility.