Hospital partner · Damongo, Savannah Region, Ghana
St. Anne Catholic Hospital, Damongo
A Catholic hospital serving Damongo and surrounding districts, with emergency care, outpatient and inpatient services, maternity and paediatric care, surgery, laboratory services and diagnostic imaging.
A regional hospital with a long community history
The hospital traces its origins to a clinic established in 1951 to care for workers of the Gonja Development Company. The Sisters of St. Anne arrived in Damongo in 1955, and the hospital was formally inaugurated on 18 April that year. Today, St. Anne Catholic Hospital serves the town and surrounding communities in Ghana’s Savannah Region.
Its stated mission is to provide quality and affordable healthcare through qualified and motivated personnel, guided by the healing ministry of Christ. The hospital’s community role includes routine services as well as referral care for nearby districts.
Hospital at a glance
These figures describe the hospital’s reported capacity and activity, rather than what an individual visiting student will necessarily observe. Placement availability and permitted activities must be confirmed separately.
100
Hospital beds
Reported across medical, surgical, paediatric, maternity, emergency and neonatal care.
36,538
Outpatient attendances
Reported for 2024.
7,782
Inpatient admissions
Reported for 2024.
1,399
Operations
Major and minor procedures combined, reported for 2024.
Bed capacity is stated on the hospital’s official website. Activity figures refer to 2024 and are included as historical context; confirm the latest figures with the hospital before relying on them for a specific placement.
Clinical services and departments
St. Anne Catholic Hospital provides a broad mix of outpatient, inpatient, emergency, maternity, paediatric, surgical and diagnostic services. The current hospital website also lists community health activities and a range of specialist clinics.
The service list below summarises the hospital’s published service areas. It is not a guarantee that every service accepts international students or that a visiting student can participate in every procedure. The specific department, supervisor and permitted learning activities should be confirmed before a placement is agreed.
Service names are drawn from the existing Med’oPolo page and the hospital’s official services page. Confirm current availability directly with the hospital.
Bed capacity and ward distribution
The existing hospital profile reports 100 beds across six care areas. The breakdown below adds up to the stated total and illustrates the facility’s mix of medical, surgical, paediatric, maternity, emergency and neonatal services.
| Ward or unit | Beds |
|---|---|
| Male medical and surgical wards | 20 |
| Female medical and surgical wards | 20 |
| Paediatric ward | 25 |
| Maternity ward | 15 |
| Accident and emergency ward | 10 |
| Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) | 10 |
| Total reported capacity | 100 |
Workforce and clinical activity
The staffing breakdown below was reported for the end of the third quarter of 2025. It is a dated snapshot, not a live staffing count, and may have changed since then.
Reported workforce, Q3 2025
| Staff category | Number |
|---|---|
| Surgical fellow | 1 |
| Family medicine specialist | 1 |
| Medical officers and physician assistants | 12 |
| Nurses and midwives | 173 |
| Pharmacy staff | 13 |
| Laboratory staff | 11 |
| Administrative staff | 15 |
| Accounts staff | 11 |
| X-ray and ultrasound staff | 2 |
| Other staff, including drivers, cleaners and CSSD staff | 49 |
| Total reported staff | 288 |
The medical officers and physician assistants are combined in one source category; the figure of 12 should not be presented as 12 doctors.
Reported activity, 2021–2024
The historical figures show activity across outpatient visits, admissions and surgical procedures. They describe the hospital as a whole, not the caseload available to a visiting student.
| Indicator | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outpatient attendances | 31,624 | 24,929 | 26,795 | 36,538 |
| Inpatient admissions | 7,597 | 7,518 | 7,496 | 7,782 |
| Major surgeries | 486 | 409 | 246 | 622 |
| Minor surgeries | 429 | 236 | 804 | 777 |
Governance, teaching context and community role
The hospital’s official materials describe oversight under the Catholic Bishop of Damongo and a management team that includes the Medical Director, Hospital Administrator, Nurse Manager, Head of Finance and Hospital Chaplain. Its stated values include integrity and people-centred care, alongside its faith-based service mission.
St. Anne Catholic Hospital serves Damongo and nearby districts, including West Gonja Municipality and North Gonja District, with referrals from other surrounding areas in selected cases. This regional role gives the hospital a mix of routine community healthcare, acute care and referral services.
For international students, any clinical placement must be organised with the host team. The hospital’s full service range should not be interpreted as a promise of access to every department, procedure or patient encounter.
Location and life in Damongo
St. Anne Catholic Hospital is located in Damongo, the capital of Ghana’s Savannah Region, in the northern part of the country. The town serves as a regional centre for surrounding communities and has a distinctive Gonja cultural and historical context.
English is Ghana’s official language for formal communication; Gonja is a prominent local language in Damongo. Other languages are spoken across the region. International students should discuss communication expectations for their proposed placement in advance.
Damongo has no airport of its own. Med’oPolo’s destination information identifies Tamale as the usual domestic arrival point, approximately 140 km away by road; transfer arrangements and travel time should be reconfirmed before booking. Our separate destination and housing pages provide practical information about arrival and accommodation.
For international medical students
A clinical elective at St. Anne Catholic Hospital can offer insight into healthcare delivery in Damongo and the surrounding region. The learning experience depends on the student’s academic level, the host department, local supervision and the activities approved for the individual placement.
- Confirm the clinical focus: state your preferred specialty, dates and learning goals. Not every department will necessarily be available for every period.
- Clarify permitted activities: observation, ward-based learning and any practical participation depend on hospital approval, supervision, local rules and your academic level.
- Plan early: check the current application deadline, required documents, insurance, accommodation options and total costs before making travel arrangements.
- Check recognition: ask your home medical school whether the proposed elective can meet your curriculum requirements. Recognition decisions remain with your home institution.
Institutional references
For current institutional information, consult the official St. Anne Catholic Hospital website, its history, about page, service list and management and team profile. Information about Med’oPolo placements, documents, deadlines, costs and accommodation is provided on the relevant Med’oPolo programme pages.