Ghana’s Minister for Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has disclosed that over two-thirds of the country’s trained health professionals are actively considering leaving the country, a development he described as deeply concerning.
Mr Akandoh made the remarks on 9 April 2025 during a National Policy Dialogue held in Accra, organised by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the World Health Organization.
The two-day forum was themed “Transforming Ghana’s Health Workforce for UHC: Align, Invest, and Sustain.”
“Over 66 percent of our health workers have expressed intentions to migrate,” Mr Akandoh said.
“If this is not addressed urgently, it could undermine our entire effort to provide equitable healthcare across the country.”
According to him, economic factors and limited employment opportunities are the major reasons behind the growing interest in migration.
While the government has scaled up training of health professionals in recent years, poor working conditions, underemployment, and the absence of long-term incentives continue to drive many to seek better prospects abroad.
Mr Akandoh urged all stakeholders to reassess current workforce policies and adopt practical strategies that would improve retention.
“We must be bold and rethink our approach to workforce planning,” he said.
“We cannot achieve our health goals if we continue to lose trained personnel to other countries.”
In his welcome address, Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, Alhaji Hafiz Adam, acknowledged that while the country has seen growth in its public health workforce, the challenge lies in retaining staff and ensuring equitable distribution.
“The public sector workforce density has increased from 16.56 to 41.92 per 10,000 people over the past two decades,” he said.
“But urban-rural imbalances and the threat of migration remain pressing concerns.”
The meeting brought together senior officials from relevant ministries, private and quasi-government health institutions, professional associations, and development partners.
Discussions focused on how to improve health worker welfare, address imbalances in deployment, and create durable funding mechanisms to support human resources in health.
The Ministry of Health said outcomes from the dialogue will inform policy measures aimed at strengthening Ghana’s capacity to meet its Universal Health Coverage targets.