Health Minister: Government considering deployment of 16,000 health workers this year

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, says the government is stepping up efforts to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare workforce, with nearly 16,000 health workers being considered for deployment this year.

According to him, 1,500 personnel have already been processed as part of measures to improve staffing levels across the country, especially in underserved areas.

Speaking at the 2026 Annual Health Summit in Accra, the minister expressed concern over ongoing shortages of health professionals in remote communities. He disclosed that in 2024, only 12 doctors accepted postings to eight underserved regions.

To address the situation, he said the government is expanding specialist training programmes, including the decentralisation of postgraduate medical education.

Mr Akandoh also revealed that nursing training programmes have been expanded, with 475 nurses currently undergoing training and plans underway to train about 1,000 nurses each year.

He emphasised that the government’s objective goes beyond increasing the number of healthcare workers, noting that efforts are also focused on developing specialised health professionals capable of tackling the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

Additionally, the minister announced that 30 PhD scholarships have been awarded to help build capacity within the health sector and enhance healthcare delivery nationwide.