Dame Lucy Osei Kofi was born in the Eastern Region of Ghana to Mr. Benjamin Ohene Kwapong of Akropong, Akwapim and Frances Kisiwaa of Akim Abomosu.  Lucy started school in Abomosu in 1938 and continued at the Aburi Girls Secondary School in Aburi Akwapim in 1943.

She joined the pre nursing class at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in 1949 and in 1953, qualified as a State Registered Nurse (SRN).  She followed this up by starting midwifery training in 1955 and qualifying as a midwife in 1956.

She was posted to Korle Bu Hospital and then left to a Midwifery Training School in South Shields, England where she did the Part Two Midwifery course.  Later in 1960, she studied for the midwifery teachers Diploma at the Royal College of Midwives in London.

Lucy returned to Ghana in 1963 as a qualified Midwifery Tutor (M.T.D) and was posted to the Midwifery training School, teaching there for six years.  In 1970, she became the principal of the Midwifery Training school in Korle Bu.  In 1977, she undertook a course in Counselling and Administration at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America, returning to Ghana after three months.

She was the first African to be the Secretary General of the Catholic Nurses Guild for Africa.  In 1979, she was appointed as the Health Unit Co-ordinator of the Catholic Health Services until 1985 when she was appointed Executive Secretary of the Catholic Health Services, retiring from that position in 1993.  In this position she had the responsibility to ensure operational synergy between the Catholic hospitals and clinics dotted around the country.  She was to bring all the health facilities into alignment.  Her indelible feat in the annals of the health sector in Ghana and the National Catholic Hospital Service made her a true doyen in the sector.  She was instrumental in the drafting and implementation of a comprehensive policy in the early 1980s towards the recruitment, training and on-going education of Catholic health service staff at the local, diocesan and national levels.  She became the interface between the government and the Catholic health care administration, and this resulted in the government allowing faith-based hospitals to charge user fees.  Many doctors holding key positions at some point in the countries health sector, benefited from her arranging for doctors and other health workers to go to some European countries for specialist training.

Lucy was a member of the West African College of Nurses headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.  Their tribute to her described her as one who despite being the head of the school, found times to give lectures and go with students to patient’s homes to observe.  She was a very good administrator who carried her subordinates with her in matters of administration.   In 1978, Lucy received a Papal Award and in 2011 had conferred upon her by Pope John Paul I, The Knighthood of St. Gregory the Great.

Reference: Funeral Brochure Saturday 4th November 2017