The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has disclosed that the government is considering the deployment of about 16,000 health workers this year as part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare workforce and improve service delivery across the country.
According to the Minister, 1,500 health workers have already been processed for deployment, with priority given to underserved communities where staffing shortages continue to affect healthcare delivery.
Speaking at the 2026 Annual Health Summit in Accra, Mr. Akandoh expressed concern over the persistent challenge of attracting health professionals to deprived areas.
He revealed that in 2024, only 12 medical doctors accepted postings to eight underserved regions, highlighting the difficulties in ensuring equitable distribution of healthcare personnel nationwide.
To address the challenge, the Minister said the government has intensified efforts to expand specialist training opportunities, including the decentralisation of postgraduate medical education to make advanced training more accessible across the country.
He further disclosed that nursing training programmes have been expanded, with 475 nurses currently undergoing training and plans underway to increase annual enrolment to about 1,000 nurses.
Mr. Akandoh stressed that the government’s strategy goes beyond increasing the number of health workers and focuses on developing specialised cadres of professionals capable of responding to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
“The focus is not only on increasing numbers but also on training the right mix of professionals to meet the evolving healthcare needs of the population,” he noted.
The Health Minister also announced that the government has awarded 30 PhD scholarships to support capacity building within the health sector and strengthen research, policy development, and healthcare delivery.
He said the various interventions form part of broader efforts to build a resilient health system capable of delivering quality healthcare services to all Ghanaians, regardless of their location.
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